Saving Me
by dakishime
Summary: She's a psychic, he's a demon container. Can these two souls help each other find true happiness? Or will tragedy get in the way? NxH,SxS,IxK...
1. Meeting

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

* * *

A young lady peered out the barred window of her room. How she yearned to go out into the world. How she wished she could be as free as they were, but alas, she could not.

The gentle jingling of the shackles that hung limply on her hands and legs remained a grim reminder of what was in store for her.

Death.

She was a demon.

She was never to be seen or heard of. She was to live alone, and to die alone.

She would never have anyone. This was the fate of those who did not have a pure bloodline of the Hyuuga clan.

"Mother…" she whispered to no one, as she looked up into the sky, tears trailing down her cheek.

Finally she nuzzled her face in her hands as she sobbed out, "You broke your promise! You told me I would never be alone, but I am! I always have been alone and now I always will be…"

Flashback

"_Don't go near her!" a mother scolded her child as she pulled him away from a small girl. The small girl seemed shocked, her hands dropped to her sides as her short raven black hair swayed ever so gently from a stray passing breeze._

"_Why mother? I want to play with her! She's nice!" the small boy started back as he strained on his mother's hand, a futile attempt of trying to get his mother to release her strong grip on his small hand._

"_She's a demon! She will curse you! Is that what you want?" she exclaimed as she scooped up her child and ran away from the small girl, all the way sending her uneasy glances._

_The little girl stared after the mother and son. 'A demon…" she thought as she silently trudged home. That was all she was called. At home, in the village, everywhere._

_She felt people staring at her as she walked along the path leading to her house. An everyday event._

_It was neither strange nor unusual for people to snicker at her, or tremble out of fear if they happened to land a glance on her._

_Her hands clenched at her side. _

'_It's not fair! Why am I called a demon? Why does everyone stare at me? Why am I always bullied or picked on?' she whimpered to herself as she picked up her pace, ignoring the stares she received._

_Once she reached the Hyuuga house she ran straight to her mother's room._

'_Mama will know what to do! She always has! I'll ask her why I'm called a demon! She'll know the reason!' the little girl thought as she knocked on the door to her mother's room._

"_MOMMY! I'm home!" she barged in without waiting for her mother's answer._

"_Hinata dear, welcome back. How was your day?" her mother, Hikari asked. She sat on her bed and gestured to her daughter to sit on the chair that had been conveniently placed next to the large bed._

"_It was pretty ok. I made a friend but his mommy didn't like me, so she pulled him away from me," she answered as she sat down on the chair._

"…" _Hikari did not answer but a slight frown marred her delicate features._

"_Mommy? Could I ask you something?" Hinata asked, worry evident in her face. _

"_What is it darling?" she murmured to her daughter._

"_Why am I called a demon?" _

_Hikari, who had been looking out the window, whipped her face towards her daughter. "What?" she asked bewildered._

"_Well the mother who pulled away my new friend called me a demon. So I was wondering if you could tell me why she called me that," she innocently asked her mother._

_Hikari fought back tears as she looked at her daughter. Her beautiful daughter who should not have been cursed to the villager's glares._

"_Hinata, come here. I want to tell you something," Hikari motioned to her daughter as she patted on the bed._

_Hinata tumbled onto the bed, forgetting about her question, "What is it mommy? Are you going to tell me a secret?"_

_Hikari merely nodded as she hugged her daughter, "No matter what happens, I want you to know that you will never be alone. No matter how desperate you are or how bad a situation you are in, there will always be someone to help guide you, ok?"_

"_I will never be alone… Of course I won't mommy! I have you! If you're around I will never ever be alone!" she thought out loud as she hugged her mother back._

_Hikarihad no heart to tell her daughter that this would probably be the last time she would ever see her daughter alive again, but before she could reply to her daughter's comment a coughing seizure took over her._

"_Mommy? Are you alright?" Hinata worriedly asked, but when her mother did not answer her back but instead coughed even louder she ran out of the room, wailing for help._

_She did not have to wait long as soon, her father came rushing towards her mother's room. She was shoved out of the way and locked out of the room._

_Hinata patiently waited outside the room. Waiting for someone to call her in. Slowly, the day turned into night and finally morning had come. Somewhere along the way, she had fallen asleep, but she was gently woken up by a servant. _

"_Hinata-sama, your father requests your presence in his room," she murmured to the small girl._

"_Can't I go and mommy first? Is she ok? Could you tell daddy that I went to see mommy?" Hinata asked as she quickly got up and reached for the door knob._

_She was just about to pull open the door when someone snatched it away. Looking up she came face-to-face with the master of the house, her father, Hiashi._

"_You are dismissed," his voice boomed as he waved his hand towards the servant. She bowed and hurriedly exited the scene._

"_Daddy! Could I see mommy? I waited outside her room the whole time! Can't I see her? I'm worried about her," she exclaimed as she tugged on the hand that her father was currently gripping onto._

"_Hinata you can't see now, or for that matter, ever again," Hiashi coldly answered as he pulled his daughter away from the room._

"_Why daddy? Did something happen to mommy?" she asked as she tried to walk faster to keep up with her father's pace._

"_Your mommy had cancer. You knew that didn't?" Hiashi asked ignoring Hinata's question._

"_Yup! Mommy told me about it," she merrily exclaimed, unaware of her father's frown._

"_Well, mommy died from cancer this morning. She isn't going to be around to protect you anymore," Hiashi smirked as he walked up an abandoned stairway that led to a fairly isolated room, one that did not experience many visitors._

"_What?" Hinata looked up, astonished._

"_You will never be able to see her again. As a matter of fact, you will never see anything or anyone ever again,"_

"_Why daddy? Am I going somewhere?"_

"_You are a disgrace to our family. BOTH you and your mother. Both of you were abominations, but now there is one less! Your pitiful mother left you all alone, like how she died. Alone. _

_You shouldn't be alive, but we, the council and I, have decided to be lenient with your sentence. You are to be locked up till the day you die. No one will ever see you, none will know of your existence. _

_We will only keep you alive with some food and water, and perhaps we could give you some clothes too. _

_You will not address me as 'daddy', instead you will call me master if I decide grace you with my presence. All these rules will take effect as of now, demon child" Hiashi smugly exclaimed as he pulled Hinata into the dark and stank room._

_Hinata let Hiashi pull her towards a corner of a room, which had chains and shackles attached to the walls. He then proceeded to pt the shackles around both her wrists and ankles._

"_Daddy…" Hinata started but was met with a slap._

_Stunned, she caressed her cheek and looked up at her father._

"_DON'T call me daddy!" he hissed and slammed the door behind him._

_Hinata stood staring at the door, all alone._

End of flashback

Hinata slowly wiped away her tears. In the years she had spent in the room, she had slowly stopped talking to anyone who came to visit her, of which was quite rare, except for a few kind servants and her sensei, named Kurenai.

Kurenai had been like a second mother, caring for Hinata as though she was her own child. Hinata had loved her and appreciated it when she dropped by. Kurenai had taught her what she could, from the basics of taigitsu to utilizing her bloodline limit, the byakugan.

Kurenai also told her the reason she was called a demon child.

Hinata's mother, Hikari had been a psychic, one who could see the future if she wished to.

When Hikari had married Hiashi, this fact had not come to light. Thus, Hiashi had remained oblivious to his wife's condition, but this all changed when Hikari had become pregnant with Hinata.

Hikari, fearing that her unborn child would inherit the curse, had no choice but to tell her husband of the situation, hoping that he would understand, but, alas, it was never meant to be.

Hiashi became furious and demanded that Hikari abort the child, which he refused to do. Hiashi vowed to Hikari that he would never accept the child, even though it was his own flesh and blood. Hiashi kept true to his word, never spending time with both his wife and child.

This changed when Hikari contracted cancer. She became bed-ridden, and soon, it became common knowledge that she would not live long.

She did not reveal to Hinata that she may one day become a psychic, hoping that perhaps the 'gift' would not cultivate in her daughter.

Even on her death bed, she held on to that thought, but unfortunately Hinata was not spared. Ironically, the day Hinata had been locked up in her 'prison', she started receiving visions.

Visions of the unseen future and visions of the unchangeable past.

Though she did not know how to activate the gift, Hinata tried her best to teach herself what her absent mother could not, and she slowly and steadily progressed with her self-teaching and self-learning.

She hid the fact that she indeed had inherited the ability to see the future. The reason being that she did not want to end up like her mother.

Used.

Kurenai had told her during her frequent visits that when her mother had revealed her deadly secret, the Hyuuga clan had decided to use it to their own benefit.

They asked her to see into the future for any possible attacks against the clan, how the younger generation of the Hyuuga clan would fare in the ninja promotion exams and so on.

This ensured that they remained the strongest clan in Konoha, even better than the other clans.

When Hikari had died, so did their luck. Their status in society dropped.

So if Hinata revealed that she too had the power to see the future, they would see fit to use it to their advantage yet again.

This was something Hinata did not want, but it would not be long before they did find out about her ability, just like they found out about how Kurenai had secretly been teaching Hinata ninjutsu and taijutsu.

Recently, Kurenai had stopped visiting Hinata. Hinata had suspected the worst, and when she received a vision of Kurenai being killed by Hiashi she knew her worst fears had come true.

She knew if she did not want a repetition of the past to occur, she would have to runaway from this place.

She would have to escape.

* * *

In a small makeshift ramen shop, a young teenage boy sat down on a stool.

"Hey! Uncle Teuchi! Could I have a miso ramen?" he called out as he raked his hand through his blond hair.

"Hey Naruto! What's been going on? Have you managed to get any new recruits?" the owner of the Ichiraku ramen stall asked as he busied himself with making a bowl of ramen for Naruto.

"It's pretty good. We've got a lot of support recently. Even the kazekage of the wind country, Gaara is fully supportive of us rebels. No surprise though, seeing that Orochimaru killed his father. He probably wants revenge," Naruto thought out aloud as he took the bowl of miso ramen from the stall owner.

"How are the other ninjas?"

"They like the village, but they still miss Konoha,"

"I see. I guess that can be expected. After all, they did grow up here _and _all their families are here,"

"Yeah," the blonde murmured as he absently looked at the counter.

The change in behaviour was not missed by the amiable uncle.

"What about you?"

"Huh?" Naruto shot up, bewilderment evident in his bit blue eyes.

"Do you like Suna?"

"It's ok. I don't see the difference between Konoha and Suna, except for the fact that Suna is surrounded by a desert, while Konoha... is surrounded by a forest..."

Uncle Teuchi laughed and shook his head, "So, are planning to move back as soon as the rebellion is over?"

"Actually I don't care..."

Uncle Teuchi nearly dropped the bowls he was wiping.

"I think staying in Suna might be better for me, that's all,"

"W...What? Are you sure? What about your dream to become the Hokage? Rokudaime?" he gently prodded.

"When you grow up, you begin to realise that the world isn't as beautiful as you thought it was..." he crudely answered.

Before Teuchi could retort to the remark, his daughter called out to him.

"Father! An order has come in from the Hyuuga estate! They want 20 bowls of miso ramen!" a young girl of the she shouted from the back of the shop.

"Alright Ayame! Could you add one more to the order? For Hinata-chan?" Teuchi called back to his daughter.

He heard a murmur from behind the shop, taking it as a sign of approval Teuchi resumed wiping the counter.

"Hinata-chan? Who's that?" Naruto as he stuffed his mouth with noodles, desperately hoping to change the subject they had earlier been covering.

"You're pretty blur for someone who just scoured the whole of Konoha for recruits. She's a young girl, probably about your age, who the Hyuuga clan has kept locked up for ten years, since she was eight," Teuchi scowled, realising what the adolescent was trying to do, but decided to let it pass.

"TEN YEARS? That's even more than half of her age!" Naruto abruptly stood up as he spat out his noodles on Teuchi.

When Naruto finally saw the after effects of his outburst he mumbled his apologies and resumed eating, while Teuchi wiped off the noodles from his face.

"Anyway, like I was saying. They barely keep the girl alive! Just giving her the basic necessities, like water and food. I think she'd be better off dead to be honest," Teuchi murmured.

"Why doesn't anyone try to help her?" Naruto asked him as though it were the simplest thing in the world.

"Sure. An extremely skilled lady ninja by the name of Kurenai did. Want to know what happened to her? She was killed by the clan head Hiashi,"

Naruto gaped at him.

"Father! I have the 21 bowls of miso ramen ready to go!" Ayame shouted as she walked out from the back of the shop juggling 21 bowls of ramen with her.

"Alright, I'll go deliver the bowls while…" Teuchi started but was cut off by Naruto.

"Hey uncle, how about I deliver the bowls for you? I'll be back with their payment and mine," Naruto smirked as he grabbed the bowls from Ayame and balanced them with ease.

"Whatever for Naruto-kun?" Ayame asked surprised.

"I want to go meet this Hinata-chan," was the answer she received as he walked off with the bowls.

Ayame and Teuchi just stared after the boy.

"Dad? I think you should make two more bowls of miso ramen. I have a feeling Naruto's going to be back with company," Ayame smiled.

Teuchi nodded and set to work.

* * *

Naruto walked as fast as his legs cold carry him, while balancing the bowls of ramen on his arms.

'I need to get into the Hyuuga household, but how? Maybe I could use Kao Utsushi no Jutsu on the person who answers the door? That's sounds like a plan, but I need to spend time with the person. Hmm. Or maybe I should just knock the fella out,' Naruto thought as he walked.

When he finally reached his destination he could not help but gape as he rung the doorbell. The Hyuuga household was huge! How the heck was he supposed to find one girl in this colossal mansion?

He began cursing to himself on his bad luck, when suddenly someone opened the front door.

A middle-aged lady smiled at him as she gestured him in, 'You must be here to deliver the ramen. Please follow me and I'll show you where to put the bowls down,"

He nodded.

As he followed her down the hallway he noticed an abandoned stairway, which was dimly lit and was very dusty.

Without his realization he had come to a stop, and was just standing and staring at the gloomy staircase.

"That's where the young mistress, Hinata-chan lives,"

"What? He asked as he turned around to face the servant who had confirmed his suspicions.

"Isn't that what you were thinking? 'That's the place,' You've come here to 'kidnap' her haven't you? It's happened lots of times before," she smugly replied as a glance at the stairway.

"Anyway, that's where Hinata-chan is. She's been there for ten years. All _alone_. Sometimes if you listen, you can hear her crying at night. Her mother –bless her soul- was such a dear. She would have never wanted this for her daughter. She sincerely believed that the master would relent and take care of Hinata-sama, but that never happened," the servant shook her head and sighed heavily.

"Why don't you give me the bowls of ramen? I'll put them in the kitchen. Here's the money for the food. Don't worry, nobody goes up to that room other than me, and that's just to pass her meals,"

She was about to walk off when she heard a soft reply, "Wait..."

She cocked an eyebrow at the boy standing in front of her.

"Why are you letting me...'kidnap' her?" he asked warily.

The elderly lady's features softened as she looked at the boy, "Naruto-kun? Do you believe in destiny?"

"Yeah. Doesn't everyone?"

Ignoring his rhetorical question, "Is destiny a matter of chance or a matter of choice?"

He paused to think for awhile, "Choice. Nobody controls your destiny. You choose where you want to be," he strongly replied, his eyes ablaze.

"I can't tell you the reason why I let you take Hinata-chan, but one day you will know. For now, think of it as destiny. Take care of her Naruto-kun. Make sure she never is alone. I know she's in good hands but I would like you to promise me that you will always be with her," she asked as she stared the boy in the eye.

"I promise. Thanks lady..." he turned as he sprinted towards the staircase.

'That was weird, why did she ask me to promise that? Also, what was all that stuff about destiny? Sounded like a certain Hyuuga I know about, except he seems to think the opposite of what she thinks. And what's up with her, calling me Naruto-kun and all…' Naruto thought when it finally occurred to him.

She had known his name, and he hadn't even introduced himself to her.

He jumped down the flight of stairs and scanned the premises for the lady.

Nobody.

He shook his head and ran back up the stairs and came to the door. It had been locked with a large padlock.

Naruto easily used his chakra to break open the lock and slowly opened the door.

* * *

Quietly the middle-aged lady stepped out from behind a tree she had been hiding.

She slowly smiled and then a sudden gust of wind blew from nowhere, blowing up fallen leaves.

When the leaves finally settled the lady was gone…

* * *

'I have to get out of here' Hinata thought.

She searched the sparse room for something hat could help her break free from the shackles.

'Why didn't Kurenai teach me how to unpick locks?' Hinata thought as she began to pound the shackles on the wall.

She hoped she wasn't making too much noise. If her father heard the din, she might never see daylight again.

She was still uselessly pounding on the thick shackles when she heard the rattling of the padlock outside her room door;another obstacle she would have to worry about later.

She paused mid-motion. She heard a little more rattling and finally it stopped.

She heaved a huge sigh of relief and was about to continue with the pounding when she heard a small explosion.

It was soft but she was sure she had heard it. Perhaps she had been mistaken, but when she heard the turning of the door knob she knew she hadn't been wrong.

The door slowly opened.

Hinata thinking it was her father shrank back and tried to blend in with the surroundings, which was a surely impossible feat with her remarkably pale skin.

She had been expecting a pale faced man with lavender eyes, but instead she saw a blond haired teenager who couldn't have been more than 18 years old.

Cerulean met lavender.

"Are you Hinata-chan?" she heard him ask.

She just stared and gaped at him.

* * *

"Are you Hinata-chan?" Naruto repeated as he cocked his head to the side, waiting for her reply.

"Yes, I am. Who… who are you?" Hinata stuttered out.

"Uzumaki Naruto at your service! But man, you sure have been deprived of a good room," he muttered out the last comment to himself rather than to the girl across him.

She mumbled something that Naruto didn't catch.

"What did you say?" he asked.

"You shouldn't be here. If my fa… if the clan leader were to find you here you could get killed. You should go while you can," she spoke out louder and got up to push him out, but was restrained by the shackles and chains.

"Sorry, but I can't do that. If I were to go back without you, that would defeat the purpose of me coming here in the first place," he shook his head, making his messy hair, even more messier.

"You can't, I won't let you! I… I'll scream, and then you'll have no choice but to run," she whispered as she peered behind him and then positioned herself to scream.

In a quick motion Naruto ran towards her and clasped his hand over her mouth.

Hinata blushed a bright red.

"Nope. You can't do that, I made a promise to someone that you'll never be alone, and I can't carry out that promise without being with you can I?" Naruto stated as he slowly released his hand from Hinata's mouth.

He then slowly using his chakra, created mini-explosives that burst open the shackles.

Hinata didn't move, still crouched in the position she had been in, when she tried to crack open the shackles.

"Alright, come on! Let's go before someone comes," he whispered a he looked around to see if anyone had heard the explosions.

She shook her head, eyes downcast. Her long, waist length hair shook with her.

"I…I can't"

"Why not? Are you hurt? Would you like me to carry you?" Naruto asked, concerned.

"It's not that. It's…It's just that, how do I know I can trust you? Ho do I know that in the end, I won't be back where I started. Alone. Weak. How do I know?" she blurted out, tears welled up in her eyes.

Naruto was taken back by her revelation. Looking into her eyes, he could see so much pain, hurt and loneliness.

She was just an empty shell.

Just like how he had been.

And how he still felt...

Finally, he cleared his throat and stretched out his hand, "I can't guarantee that you will never be alone, and I can't guarantee that you will be the strongest in the world,"

Hinata looked up, to see his fingers brush away a few stray tears.

"But, I can tell you this. As long as I live, you will never be alone, and as long as I stand on my own two feet, I will make sure that you will be strong,"

He reached out his hand, and this time Hinata took it.

* * *

Author's note: What is Orochimaru up to? Why is Naruto recruiting rebels? How is Gaara related to all of this? Thanks for reading! Please review!


	2. Escape

Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto

A/N : A big thank you to BlackSnowPetals, JSai, LoveKibaAndShinoForever, Maned Wolf Goddess and Inume-blue. My first five reviewers.

* * *

Recap

_Hinata looked up, to see his fingers brush away a few stray tears._

"_But, I can tell you this. As long as I live, you will never be alone, and as long as I stand on my own two feet, I will make sure that you can be strong,"_

_He reached out his hand, and this time Hinata took it._

* * *

The soft shuffle of feet could be heard.

Hinata and Naruto slowly made their way down the stairs. Hoping that they wouldn't bump into anyone.

Naruto cursed his luck. He hadn't thought of how he would escape. Currently, he was using Henge no Jutsu on himself, and thankfully, Hinata knew how to do the same.

They both had taken up the appearances of servants, but should they come across Hiashi - or anyone else for that matter - the gig would be up.

Their only chance was to get out of the mansion unnoticed, and they had to do it fast.

He quickly pulled Hinata's hand, as he rushed towards the exit.

Hinata.

He had never expected to see someone like her, locked up.

She looked vulnerable, and she had been abused.

When he pulled her up from her cell, he noticed palm like bruises on her hand. He was disgusted.

It hadn't improved his impression of the Hyuuga's when he saw the clothing she wore.

She had been wearing clothes that were clearly too small for her. A small dress that hugged her chest tightly, and was mid-thigh long. It had been torn in various places.

Her hair looked like it hadn't been cut in years, which yet again, didn't surprise him.

His grip tightened around her hand.

"Naruto-kun? Is there something wrong?" Hinata meekly asked as they tip-toed around the servant's quarters.

"No, don't worry. Nothing's the matter. Hinata-chan? I think we're going to have to jump the wall. Is that alright with you?" he whispered back to the raven haired girl.

"Um… Na…Naruto-kun?"

"Yes?"

"I don't know how to jump over wa…walls," she whispered back, her face looking at the floor.

Naruto mentally smacked himself.

Of course she wouldn't know how to do that, considering she had been locked up for ten years...

When they finally reached the large barrier, they both paused.

Finally Naruto tuned around to face Hinata, who looked at him questioningly.

In one quick motion, he scooped her into his arms, carrying her bridal style.

"Na… Naruto-kun!" she blushed as she tried to wiggle out of his arms.

"Don't worry. I won't drop you," he whispered back as he held her close to his chest.

Hinata's blush deepened. Not trusting her voice she nodded her head instead.

Naruto leaped up the wall and landed directly on top of it.

"Wow. I…I've never seen such a beautiful view, but I think he vie…view on top of the Hokage monuments are, mu…much better," Hinata commented as she slowly looked around at Konoha.

"EH! You've been on top of the Hokage monument?" Naruto asked as he turned his head to face the lady in his arms.

"Yes, my mother once took me there before she got ill. After… When she couldn't take me, I went there alone just to think. It was so beautiful when I last saw it," she replied, closing her eyes as though she were reminiscing the past.

"Well, it sure hasn't changed much. I know! I'll take you there someday! Then you can see for yourself!" Naruto exclaimed forgetting about the situation they were in.

"I'll look forward to that," Hinata nodded, giving me a small smile.

The two of them looked out at the scenery which lay before their eyes. Just taking in it's beauty.

It seemed surreal until, "HEY! SOUND THE ALARM! THE YOUNG MISTRESS IS MISSING!"

Naruto cursed silently and jumped off the wall landing with a "Thud,"

He began running, to get a head start on their escape. Within a few minutes, they had reached Ichiraku, the ramen stall.

* * *

A guard searched the premises for the escapee. Looking in the garden he searched high and low. While looking around, he saw something that astounded him.

21 bowls of ramen, lay stacked up near a tree.

* * *

"UNCLE TEUCHI! AYAME!" the blond boy called out as he entered the shop, still carrying Hinata in his arms.

"What is it…Hinata-chan! How have you been?" Teuchi said as he came out from the back of the stall.

"Uncle Teuchi… I'm fine… It's been a l…long time hasn't it?" Hinata replied as she gave Teuchi a smile. Her hands still clung to Naruto's neck, where she had placed them when he carried her.

"EH? You know her?" Naruto asked bug-eyed.

"Baka. Who do you think told you about her?"

"Well, you did. OH. Right, slipped my mind," Naruto grimaced at his forgetfulness.

Hinata giggled at him.

"Um… Naruto-kun?"

"Yup?"

"Well, um… yo…you can put me down now," she blushed yet again, as she reluctantly loosened her hands from around his neck.

"Oh yeah! Sorry! My bad," he exclaimed as he gently lowered his hands, so that Hinata could jump out of his hands. A blush slightly, coloured his face.

Teuchi snickered to himself as he saw the two blushing teens in front of him.

"Naruto! Your back! How did the 'kidnapping' go?" he heard Ayame scream from the back of the shop.

"You can see for yourself!" Naruto called back as he waited for her to see his prize.

Which in this case was Hinata.

"I'm guessing you couldn't bring her … back," Ayame stuttered as she pushed back the curtain that separated the back of the stall.

"Or you did…" she muttered to herself as she looked at the pale girl.

"Well hello there! I'm Ayame! I'm my father's keeper, and caretaker. Did I mention I run the shop too?" she smugly reminded as she bowed to Hinata.

"It's a pleasure to me…meet you. I'm Hyuuga Hinata," she smiled back as she bowed ever so gently back to Ayame.

"Why didn't I get a daughter like that?" Teuchi sobbed as he banged his hand in the counter.

This earned a glare from Ayame, while Naruto and Hinata sweat dropped.

Muttering something about ungrateful fathers Ayame placed two bowls of Miso ramen in front of the two.

"Eat up. We expected you would come back here," Ayame exclaimed as she went back to the back of the stall.

"ALRIGHT! RAMEN!" Naruto yelled, clearly excited and dug into the bowl of freshly served noodles.

Hinata simply sat down and just stared at the food.

* * *

"_Say ah Hinata!" Hikari smiled as she held in her hand a bowl of Ichiraku ramen._

_The pair was currently sitting in the Ichiraku ramen stall, sharing a bowl of miso ramen._

"_AHHH!" Hinata opened her mouth, as her mother fed her the delectable dish._

_Hikari smiled as she too, scooped a bit of soup and savored it's taste._

_Hinata looked at her mother, who in turn, looked back at her and gave her a brilliant smile._

_Hinata did the only thing she could._

_Smile back._

* * *

"Hinata-chan! Hello! Anyone there?" Naruto asked as he waved his hand in front of her eyes.

Hinata snapped back into reality, and looked at the blond next to her.

"Eh? Wh…What?" Hinata stuttered as she jumped back on her seat.

"Well, you haven't touched your bowl of ramen, and we have to leave in awhile," Naruto stated as he pointed at her dish.

"Oh right," she realized as she picked up her chopsticks and spoon and began to eat.

The taste was still the same. Nothing had changed. Nothing except now, her mother wasn't here with her to eat the bowl of ramen. Her lavender eyes welled up with tears.

"We'll be traveling to Suna! That's the only safe place for both of us at the moment," Naruto stated as he gulped down some soup.

She looked up, momentarily having forgotten her traveling companion. Naruto. This mysterious boy who had said he would never leave her alone. He would help her get stronger.

'Yes. Mother isn't with me now,' she thought as she looked at the young man who was currently ordering his third bowl of ramen.

'But, now I have him. Naruto-kun,' she smiled. Then, suddenly it hit her like a ton of bricks. He said they were going to Suna.

"SU…SU…SUNA?" she jumped up as she slammed he hands on the counter.

Naruto and Teuchi looked at her.

"Yeah. Why? Is something the matter? IS THERE A HYUUGA CLAN IN SUNA?" Naruto asked as the thought suddenly occurred to him, pulling his hair at the thought of that.

"It…It's not that. It… It's just that…It's so… so far away. It could ta…take us days to get there," she blurted out, poking her two index fingers together.

Naruto stood stock still, blinking at her.

"Eh? Oh! We aren't going there by foot," he said as he stood akimbo.

"We're not?" Hinata questioned.

"You're not?" Teuchi leaned forward as he stared at the two expectantly.

"No we're not. I am meeting a group of friends outside the Konoha border. We'll be taking, um a type of_ transportation,"_he whispered the last part to Hinata so that Teuchi couldn't hear it.

"That's right. Leave me out of your conversation," Teuchi nodded as he resumed his work.

"It isn't as though I don't want to share it with you, but the less you know of us the safer you are Uncle," Naruto said as he leapt of the chair and taking out his wallet, paid for the meals.

"Yeah, yeah. I know," Teuchi, sighed as he took the money from Naruto.

"What do you mean? Are the both of you doing something illegal?" Hinata asked, astonished at the two of them.

"ILLEGAL? HAHAHA!" Teuchi laughed but was cut of by Naruto's hand as he clamped it over his mouth.

"Well, um it's not what you think it is. So! Do you want to go to Suna with me?" he asked her, swiftly changing the topic.

She paused for a while contemplating whether it would be a good decision. If she went to Suna, what would happen to her?

Se did not have much time, or many choices. It was either Suna or going back to the Hyuuga mansion. Where she knew she would not last long. Her father would probably kill her for escaping.

She didn't want to go back. Back to where only death awaited her. Back to where she would be alone. It would be like taking a step backwards, and she wasn't willing to do that.

Not after coming so far. She was going to stride forward, and whatever her future thrust at her, she would face it.

Besides, she wasn't alone now.

She could do it.

"Al…Alright. I'll come along," she said.

"Well then, let's go," Naruto exclaimed as he stepped out of the stall and onto the street.

Hinata got up to leave but was pulled back by a hand. She turned around to see Ayame gripping her wrist.

"Hold on Naruto. You really don't expect Hinata-chan to go out looking like that!" Ayame motioned to Hinata's clothing.

Hinata blushed, she had forgotten about her attire entirely, and from the looks of it, so had Naruto.

"Aww man. I totally forgot about that, and look at the time now! No shops in Konoha will be open," Naruto said, snapping his fingers.

"I have that part covered. I'll loan you some of my clothes, and I'll fix up your hair," Ayame smiled as she pushed Hinata behind the stall, to a small interconnecting house.

* * *

Naruto impatiently waited for the two girls to emerge from the house. He sat down on a chair tapping his fingers on the counter.

"WHY, are they taking so long? All Hinata-chan needs is some clothes and perhaps even tidy up her hair. So, why has she been with Ayame in your house for TWO HOURS?" he screamed in frustration.

Ironically, Hinata and Ayame came out of the house right at that time.

Naruto was struck speechless. She looked so different.

Her hair had been cut short, showing her beautiful lavender eyes and she wore a light purple kimono, which had been adorned with white lavender petal patterns

She carried a small backpack on her shoulders.

Naruto looked at the bag questioningly.

"Ayame-san gave me some extra clothes to wear for different occasions," she quietly murmured.

"Yes. Now she looks suitable. Naruto! You had better take care of her properly! Oh yeah! When you reach Suna _please _buy her some new clothes!" Ayame stated as she came out from the house.

Naruto nodded and grabbed Hinata's hand as they headed out of the stall. Both waving their goodbyes, they walked to the border.

* * *

It was pitch dark, as it was in the wee hours of the morning. Both of the teenagers had barely gotten any sleep, and it seemed especially evident on Hinata's face.

Her eyelids drooped as they walked on.

Naruto looked behind to see Hinata half asleep. He smiled but didn't say anything.

They finally reached the border. Naruto looked around for the guard and caught sight of him.

Slouched, on the floor unconscious.

'Guess I knocked him out real good when I entered Konoha. Wonder why nobody noticed him?," Naruto snickered as he pulled Hinata past the guard and they easily got out of Konoha.

Naruto looked around for his friends, but saw nobody.

"I'm guessing that we're still early. Why don't you sit down and rest while I keep a look out for them?" Naruto suggested.

Hinata nodded. She walked over to a tree and propped up her bag on it. She then used it as a pillow to sleep on.

Naruto just smiled as he waited for his friends to come. He didn't have to wait for long. Off in the distance he saw three figures, that seemed to be on horseback.

He waved his hands in the air, signaling to them where he was. The horses immediately swerved in his direction.

When they finally reached him, he gladly looked them over. All of the riders appeared to be the same age as Naruto and Hinata.

One of the riders was a young woman, with pink hair. Her name was Sakura. She was wearing a red sleeveless top, with a with skirt that was split at sides and in the middle, and under it she wore short black shorts.

The second rider had black, messy hair. He wore a black sleeveless shirt with the symbol of a red fan behind it. His pants were black and baggy with many pockets. He swung a katana (grasscutter) across his back. His name was Sasuke

The last rider had short red hair. He wore black pants and a black shirt. A large cylinder-like object was swung across his left side of the shoulder, while a white sash hung from the right. He was the infamous Kazekage, Gaara.

"Hey guys! How was the journey?" he asked as he caught the reigns of Sakura's horse.

"Wonderful! If you like sand and dust flying into your face every second of the journey and not getting a wink of sleep at all!" Sakura exclaimed as she hopped off her horse and stretched.

"Uhum," Gaara cleared his throat as he glared at Sakura.

"Oops! He he. Sorry! Forgot you liked sand," she mumbled as she rubbed her head.

"So dobe, how was the recruitment?" Sasuke asked as he jumped off his horse still holding on to the reigns.

"I have a name you know! It is Naruto! Think you can remember or are your brain cells incapable of understanding it?" he heatedly said, glaring at Sasuke.

"I would think that nobody would be able to understand anything you say,"

"I dare you to say that again,"

"I'm sorry! Did I speak to fast for you?"

"That's it! Let us settle this the old way. By FIGHTING!"

"Alright. Let's take this outside!"

"You baka! We ARE outside!"

"IDIOTS! Can you please stop fighting?" Sakura interjected as she pushed the two apart.

"HE started it! Anyway, it went pretty well. I got a few more supporters, and you're not going to believe this, but we have a new friend who's going to be helping us," Naruto smugly exclaimed.

"Really? Who?" Gaara asked, not moving off his horse.

"Hinata-chan!" he answered as he motioned to the girl who had dozed off.

"A girl! Way to go Naruto! Now other than Ino-pig, Tenten and Temari I have someone else to talk to!" Sakura slapped Naruto on the back as she yelled excitedly.

"How old is she?" Gaara asked glancing at her.

"She's the same age as us. Eighteen," Naruto answered for the sleeping girl.

"Why did she decide to come with us?" Sasuke asked, clearly interested with the newcomer.

Naruto grimaced at the question.

"I think she should answer that question herself. When she wakes up that is," Naruto smiled, happy at the answer he had produced.

"Alright. I think we had better get going. Unless you want Orochimaru to find out about us," Gaara cut in, as he turned his horse around in the direction the three ninjas had come from.

"Right. Naruto, you take Hinata-chan and get on my horse. Sasuke, I'll have to share the horse with you!" Sakura exclaimed starry-eyed.

Sasuke gulped. This was not going to be an enjoyable return trip.

Naruto walked over to where Hinata lay asleep. He gently nudged her awake. She rolled over and mumbled something Naruto couldn't catch.

He sighed and finally just scooped her into his arms and slung her bag over his shoulder. He walked over to the horse and attached her backpack to the saddle before jumping on with Hinata in tow.

He positioned her in such a way that her head was leaning against his chest.

'I wonder why she was locked up in that room. I never did ask her about it. Perhaps she will share her past with us when we reach Sunai. Man, when I looked into her eyes, she reminded me so much of well… the old me. Darn that Hiashi. How could he lock up a girl for ten years? No way is that humane. Darn him and the whole council of his!' Naruto thought as he snapped the reigns of the horse and galloped off, following his comrades.

Unconsciously, his grip around Hinata's right hand, which he held with his own hand, tightened.

* * *

Hinata was sleeping peacefully. It had been so long since she had, had a dream that had not been plagued with her visions.

Visions.

It was rather irritating that she could see the future of anyone else, except her. She had been infuriated when she found out that little fact.

To think, she had to go through so much, just for this so-called 'gift' and it really did not benefit her at all! So much for justice.

Not that she didn't know what was in store for her anyway.

She was going to die. That was her destiny. So what was the use of having such a good life. Her destiny was set, and she couldn't do a thing to change it. Besides, destiny can't be changed.

Can it?

She was still in the middle of her thoughts when she felt someone nudged her. Not wanting to leave her dreamless sleep she rolled over, hoping that the person would go away.

Instead she felt herself being lifted up. She didn't move. She heard the rustling of something before she felt herself being lifted in the air again, but the grip of the person who was holding her never left.

Gentle movements positioned her in a comfortable position, and she felt her head lean against something warm and hard.

Finally she heard the hoof of horses, and felt herself being bumped up and down. 'So, I'm on a horse, but who carried me and what am I leaning against?' she curiously thought.

After a few minutes of pondering, she slowly peered open an eye. Absorbing in her surroundings she realized she was leaning against somebody's chest. She stole a quick look upwards and inwardly gasped when she found out who it was.

Naruto-kun.

She blushed several shades red and fainted. None of which was noticed by Naruto.

When they finally reached Suna, half the day was gone and it was already late in the afternoon, judging by the Sun's position.

Naruto hopped off his horse, Hinata in hand. He slowly unlatched her backpack and grabbed the reigns before handing it to Gaara.

"I'll go back first ok? I need to settle Hinata-chan in, and when she does wake up I'll bring her to Gaara's office immediately, alright?" he asked his friends.

It was then that he caught sight of Sakura, who too, was asleep in Sasuke's arms.

Sasuke shrugged claiming that she fallen asleep halfway through the journey.

Naruto chuckled and walked off to his home.

* * *

Alright. That's all for now. Hopefully there will be another chapter by the end of this week! Please review!


	3. Introduction

,Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Author's Note: I am currently listening to Cascada for inspiration. So sorry for the delay. Originally, this chapter was supposed to be up last Thursday, but due to unseen circumstances, it was delayed, and I was on a leadership camp for three days. My apologies!

Recap

_It was then that he caught sight of Sakura, who too, was asleep in Sasuke's arms._

_Sasuke shrugged claiming that she fell asleep halfway through the journey._

_Naruto chuckled and walked off to his home._

* * *

Naruto kicked open the door to his three-roomed flat. He slammed it shut behind him using his foot and walked over to one of the spare rooms to tuck Hinata in.

She snuggled into the bed.

Surprisingly, the room was clean, which couldn't be said for the rest of the house.

Naruto's room was cluttered with clothes and rubbish.

His living room had scrolls and weapons scattered all over.

The kitchen had empty ramen bowls and unwashed dishes in the sink.

His bedroom had used clothes and other unmentionables draped everywhere.

Definitely the messiest house in the whole of Suna.

Naruto dropped Hinata's bag near her bed and walked off to his own room.

He plopped onto his own bed. 'Maybe I'll catch up on a few minutes of sleep,' Naruto yawned as his eyes closed shut, and he drifted into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

After a few hours had passed, Hinata's eyes fluttered open. She sat up abruptly as she looked around the room.

'Where am I?' she thought as she pushed back the covers and slowly slipped out of her bed.

She then remembered what had happened.

'Naruto-kun was carrying me,' she thought achieving yet again another blush on her cheeks.

She pushed open the door of her room and gasped. The living room looked like a tornado hit it. Curiously, she looked around the house, only to be greeted by the same state.

She finally stopped at Naruto's room, and peered in. She saw him asleep on his bed.

Smiling she gently closed the door back again, and leaned against it.

"Maybe…Maybe I should do a little something for Naruto. Just as a favour for helping me escape," Hinata thought out aloud.

Tying back the sleeves of her Kimono, she managed to find an apron and tied it around her waist.

"I'll help him clean his house! Hopefully this is _his_ house ," she giggled as she wondered where she would start.

* * *

Naruto tossed and turned uneasily in his bed. His eyes squinted shut, he clutched the sheets on his bed as her experienced his relentless nightmares.

_Naruto woke up with a start and looked around._

'_My first day in the academy! I had better be early for once!' Naruto thought s he hopped off his bed and pulled on some clothes._

_He walked out of his room and grabbed an apple of his table -which he couldn't see- and walked out of his house._

_Stretching as he walked to the Konoha academy. He reached the gates of the academy when he felt a stone hit his head. He whirled around o se who threw the stone._

_To his surprise, he saw a small group of young adults. Their eyes showed pure hatred. The advanced onto him like a pack of hungry wolves and began to hurl both insults and punches onto him._

"_Die demon! Thanks to you our parents are dead!"_

"_I hate you! I'm an orphan thanks to you!"_

"_You shouldn't be alive demon!"_

"_Konoha will never be your home! You think you will be appreciated here you monster? You will never be! No matter where you go, you will never be accepted!"_

"_Yeah! You will never have a home! You will always be an outcast! You should die for all the lives you took!"_

"_We will do what the Hokage can't! We will cleanse Konoha of you!"_

_Naruto curled up in a fetal position in an attempt to fend off the kicks and hits, "Please don't say those things about me! I really did not kill anyone! Please listen to me! Somebody! Please help me!"_

_As though an answer to his plea, he felt, arms embrace him tight. He heard an angelic voice whisper to him, "It's ok Naruto-kun. You're not alone, I'm right here so please stop crying,"_

_Almost immediately, the pain stopped and he jut hugged onto the figure. He looked up to see whom it was but could only make out her short black hair and he fell into a heavenly dreamless sleep.

* * *

_

Hinata plopped herself on the sofa. She was exhausted from cleaning out the entire house. Piles of garbage bags lay near the doorway of the small flat.

Hinata had cleared out the whole house. From top to bottom. Sweeping the floor, clearing the ramen bowls, washing the dishes; it had all been done. She had not cleared up Naruto's room, fearing that she might wake him up.

'I'll do it after he wakes up. Meanwhile, I might as well make something that can actually be eaten in this house,' she thought as she walked back to the kitchen and untied her sleeves, but left the apron on.

Searching through the kitchen she managed to find some ingredients that she could make a real dish with.

In the refrigerator, amidst all the frozen ramen, she managed to find some chicken, leeks, green onion, sake and tofu.

After some looking around and exploring in the kitchen she managed to find all the ingredients she was looking for. She looked over her finds, mentally checking them.

'Soya sauce, sugar, maple syrup, 40g of dried chirimeniako (anchovies), peanuts, chicken, two soft blocks of tofu, green onions, leeks, 10ml of sesame seeds, sesame oil and sake!' she thought, glad that she hadn't forgotten any ingredients.

She closed her eyes as she leaned against the stove. Remembering how she and her mother used to cook up meals when she had been younger. Inventing new recipes, having food fights. A soft sigh emerged from her lips as she readied the pots and pans.

She started with the Jakopi Tofu. Humming an unknown tune as she fried the ingredients in the pan.

After she had finished frying all the ingredients she slowly poured, the 'sauce' over the two tofu's and moved onto the yakitori.

She slowly prepared the sauce for the yakitori. While waiting for the sauce to simmer she chopped up the chicken.

She had moved on to the last piece and brought down the knife, when suddenly she heard a shrill scream. Startled she dropped the knife on the chopping board, narrowly missing her fingers.

She patted her hands on her apron as she rushed to the source of the sound. Naruto's room.

Slamming open the door she looked at the blonde-haired person, who was currently thrashing around on his bed. His eyes were shut close.

'He's asleep,' she realized as she moved closer to him. He was clutching the sheets in such agony, tears running down his cheeks.

Without any hesitation, she engulfed him in a hug.

"It's ok Naruto-kun. You're not alone, I'm right here so please stop crying," she whispered to him.

Slowly but surely his thrashing stopped. She stayed in that position for a few seconds before releasing her grip on him. She moved out of the bed but felt a tug on her sleeves.

She looked behind to see Naruto gripping her long kimono sleeves. She smiled and gently pried of his hand and laid it on the bed. She tucked him in and tip toed out of the room.

Gently closing his door, she walked to the kitchen and quickly snatched the yakitori sauce off the oven and mixed the sauce with the chicken and fried it.

'I wonder…' she thought as she served the food onto separate plates and put them in the oven.

Shaking away her thoughts, she resumed what she had been doing.

She then pulled back a chair and sat on it.

'It's been so long since I've sat on a chair, and cooked food for someone. It feels like the time when mom was around. It feels like home,' propping her hands on the table, she leaned against them.

Instantly she jerked up at the unconscious mistake she had made. She would never have a home. 'Of course,' she bitterly thought, 'a demon like me could own a house, but never a home,'

Her pre-destined fate. A fate of a psychic.

Refusing to think of such sorrowful thoughts, she let her eyes wander across the room.

'I think I had better get Naruto-kun to buy real food. Other than his instant ramen' giggling she thought.

Her train of thoughts was disrupted by yawn. She turned around to see Naruto exiting his room, stretching himself.

"Good afternoon Naruto-kun!" she smiled as she rose from the chair.

"Hey! Good afternoon to you too! WOW! The kitchen looks so…" Naruto faded off as he looked at the kitchen with surprise.

"Clean?" Hinata offered as she saw the dumfounded look on his face.

Naruto merely nodded as he looked around his newly cleaned house.

"I've never seen my house this clean before," he murmured as he looked around the kitchen and walked out to peer at the other parts of his house.

He heard Hinata's melancholy laughter follow him, followed by the mouth-watering aroma of cooked food.

"You did this?" Naruto called out.

"Uhuh. It's a repayment for saving me!" Hinata replied as she opened the oven door.

"You know… You don't really have to repay me with anything! I can't let you go around cleaning my house! You're a guest Hinata-chan!"

"Think of it as a favour then. From one friend to another," Hinata smiled.

'Friend… She called me a friend and she barely knows me…" Naruto thought, after hearing her comment.

"Mmmmmm. I smell something real good! Is it ramen?" Naruto asked eyeing the food that had been set up on the table, returning from his expedition of his own house.

"Nope. You eat too much instant ramen Naruto-kun. I made something much tastier and healthier," Hinata motioned as she removed the covers off the food.

"Nothing is better than ramen!" Naruto exclaimed as he crossed his hands, teasing her.

"That's because you never tried anything else! From all the food I cleared out, all I saw were empty bowls of instant ramen" Hinata laughed out as placed his plate in front of him.

Naruto looked at the food Hinata just served. Its smell wafted up to his nose.

"Well, I guess I could try it. I can't hurt your feelings can I?" he asked and dug into the food.

He ate like a savage who had not eaten in days.

"I take it that the food is good?" Hinata suggested as she stared at him gobble up the tofu.

"It's ok. Ramen is still much better though, but I guess you cooking is passable," Naruto said finishing his meal, unconsciously letting his eyes wander to Hinata's untouched food.

Hinata noticed and pushed her food towards him. "I'm not hungry. You can have my share if you like," she lied looking at his astounded face.

Naruto looked up, a streak of worry flashed across his eyes. Hinata simply nodded and cocked her head to her side.

"You sure?"

"Positive," was the answer Naruto received from Hinata, but her stomach seemed to think otherwise.

A loud growl sounded in the kitchen.

Naruto burst out laughing as Hinata blushed uncontrollably.

"You aren't a very good liar. Since we're both hungry, we might as well share!" Naruto prompted as he shook the spoon gently gesturing towards Hinata's mouth.

She opened her mouth to protest but was greeted by tofu instead.

"Eat," Naruto demanded as he, took a bite of the food.

The two of them ate in silence. With Naruto cutting up pieces of food, and Hinata staring at the floor, poking her index fingers together nervously.

"Hey, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked, breaking the silence.

"Hmm?"

"You've stopped stuttering! Did you realize? That's great don't you think?" Naruto realized as he slammed the spoon down on the plate.

"Huh?" she exclaimed, taken back by the random statement.

"That's great! You sound much better when you don't stutter!" Naruto proudly stated as he fed Hinata some chicken.

"T…Thank you Naruto-kun" she answered.

He looked at her and laughed, causing Hinata to give Naruto a stunned look.

"I thought if I complimented you on not stuttering, you wouldn't do it again!"

She blushed and glanced up at the clock that hung above the stove.

"Wow! It's almost 6.00pm," she commented looking at hands on the clock.

The clatter of utensils sounded through the house, causing Hinata to look at Naruto, the source of the noise.

"D…Did you say 6.00pm?" Naruto asked with wide eyes.

Hinata nodded.

"OH CRAP! We need to run to the Gaara's office! Darn it! How did I forget about that! I hope they aren't mad! Oh no, oh no, oh no!" Naruto realized as he grabbed Hinata's hand and pulled her towards the door.

* * *

Meanwhile -In the Kazekage's office-, a group of ninjas were waiting inside the room.

"Um…Are you sure that Naruto remembers that he was supposed to meet us? He _is _absent-minded at times," Tenten commented as she whirled a kunai between her index and middle finger.

"The Dobe had better come," Sasuke murmured as he tapped his fingers impatiently on the Kazekage's table.

"When he DOES come, I'll punch so hard that anyone would need dental record to identify him!" Sakura scowled as she clenched her hands into tight fists.

"Right now, I really don't want to be Naruto," Shikamaru murmured to Chouji who had occupied himself with eating his never-ending supply of chips.

He merely nodded as he looked at the surly bunch who occupied the room.

Gaara sat staring up at the ceiling.

'I will never understand why you have weird friends like these people Uzumaki,' was all that kept thinking of as he sighed at the commotion the brood was creating.

* * *

Meanwhile Naruto was running down the streets of Suna, holding Hinata's hand. The young girl was desperately trying to keep up, but it was, after all, difficult to run in clogs.

Trying her hardest, she ran as fast as she could, stumbling all the way.

"I'm so sorry Hinata-chan! If only I had kept track of the time, we wouldn't be running all the way to the Kazekage's office," he gasped as he ran through the meandering road.

"It's alright Naruto-kun. I don't really mind. It sure is good exercise!" she answered optimistically as she glanced around the street, looking at the different shops.

Naruto winced.

"Actually, I was kind of hoping I could show you around Suna, since you're new to it and all," Naruto mentioned, slowing down his pace. Without his knowledge, he had released Hinata's hand from his grip.

Hinata spared a glance at his disappointed face.

"How sweet of you to think about me Naruto-kun! Since we can't do it now, how about you show me after your meeting at the Kazekage's office?" she blushed, poking her two index fingers together.

Naruto looked at her reddening face and bit back a laugh. She looked so cute when she did that.

It suddenly occurred to him what he had just thought. He mentally smacked himself for even letting such a thought cross his mind.

'Man! All that training with Ero-senin sure did have a bad side to it!' he thought as he picked up his pace, but somewhere, deep inside, he felt something stir as he saw the innocent girl prod her fingers lightly.

The same girl who had cleaned his house, as a 'favour' she had said.

The same girl who had cooked him a meal, with the measly ingredients he had at home.

The very same girl that was thanking him just because he wanted to show her around Suna.

"Thank you," Naruto whispered to the girl as he began to pick up his pace.

She looked at him profoundly.

"H…Huh?" she asked, picking up the hem of her kimono, allowing her to pick up her speed too.

"It's nothing. Anyway, we are almost there! It's that humongous monstrosity over there!" Naruto exclaimed as he pointed to the largest building in Suna.

Hinata blinked in awe as she saw the huge building.

"W…Wow," she whispered but before she could make any further comments, Naruto pulled her towards the enormous building.

After running down numerous hallways, and entering numerous doorways they reached their destination.

"Hello everyone!" Naruto bellowed inside the Kazekage's office.

"I'm so sorry the both of us are late. Please forgive us," Hinata meekly bowed at the group.

The group stared at the two different greetings that had been presented to them.

"Neh, Hinata-chan! You don't have to apologize to these guys!"

"Naruto-kun, but we should. We are late,"

"Tsk. Hinata-chan! They never gave me a time I should meet up with them! So you see… We aren't late!" Naruto smugly replied, 'Although I just realized that part now'; as he pulled, back two chairs for the two of them.

His answer earned him two solid punches on his head. Courtesy of Sakura and Sasuke.

"Use your God-given sense Naruto! You said you would come back _after_ Hinata-san had woken up!" Sakura screamed in his ear.

"I did!"

"_Immediately_?" Sasuke prodded as he stared daggers at the blonde.

"Oh alright. Not _immediately_," Naruto replied as he crossed his hands across his chest.

Before anything more could be said, a soft grunting could be heard. Everyone turned around to face the sound, which had been produced by Gaara.

"GAARA! Hey there!" Naruto jumped as he ran towards the Kazekage, pulling Hinata with him.

"Good Evening Uzumaki-san, and a warm welcome to you Miss Hinata," Gaara replied as he rose from his chair and shook hands with her.

"Hey! How many times have I said that there is no need for any formalities! Call me Naruto!" grinning he replied.

Hinata smiled at Kazekage, before she could reply his greeting, she was whirled around by Naruto to face the rest of the group.

"Introduce yourself" Naruto gently whispered as he lightly pushed her forward.

"Um…Good Evening everyone. My name is Hinata. I am from Konoha. It's a pleasure to meet you all," she stuttered as she bowed to them, not mentioning her last name.

"You should learn a thing or two from her Naruto," Sakura growled as she pushed Naruto aside.

"I'm Haruno Sakura. Nice to meet you Hinata. I hope you don't mind me calling you by your first name?" Sakura asked as the two exchanged a handshake.

Hinata shook her head and smiled.

"I'm Yamanaka Ino and I specialize in mind Jutsus."

"This is so troublesome…"

"JUST INTRODUCE YOURSELF!" Ino screamed at the boy who winced in response.

"Nara Shikamaru… Shadow user…," he managed to mutter out.

"Munch…Akimichi Chouji… Munch… Specialize in body weight… Chomp… techniques" a plump brown-headed boy sat eating his bag of chips.

"Tsk. Uchiha Sasuke, Sharingan utilizer" The raven haired boy who had just punched Naruto answered.

"Sabaku no Gaara. Sand manipulator" the kazekage said, introduced himself to her again.

"Temari. Fan user" a dishwater blonde girl, who appeared older than the rest of the group introduced herself as she fingered the huge fan that hung on her shoulders.

"Hello! I'm Kankurou a Puppet user," a guy covered in black answered with a mummified cocoon in his hands.

"Tenten here! Weapon specialist!"

"Rock Lee! May the power of youth shine down on all of us! Taigitsu specialist,"

"Hey there! Inuzuka Kiba at your service, and not forgetting this guy over, he's Akamaru!"

"Aburame Shino. A bug user from the Aburame clan"

Hinata smiled.

"Are all of you from the hidden sand village?" she asked as she sat on the chair Naruto had pulled out for her earlier.

"Well, not really. The only people who are from around here are Gaara, Temari and Kankurou. The rest of us are from Konoha, like you," Sakura answered as she sat back on her chair.

"What?" Hinata stumbled as she looked around the room.

"Yeah. We are _all _from Konoha. You said you were from Konoha didn't you? Strange that I've never seen you before, considering the fact that you are the same age as us I would have thought that you should have been in the same class as us," Ino asked as she tapped her fingers thoughtfully on her chin.

"I…I um had personal tutoring at home," Hinata uneasily answered using the first excuse she could think of.

She earned a thoughtful look from everyone in the room.

"I never knew that you could have personal tutoring at Konoha!" Sakura exclaimed as she peered at the girl.

"That's because nothing of that sort really exists. Am I not correct _Hyuuga_ Hinata-sama" someone exclaimed from the doorway.

Hinata's eyes widened as she saw the person who had just entered the room.

"Neiji ni-san…" she whispered.

She was dead meat.

* * *

Please Review! The next chapter is half done, but I wonder if I'll be able to update soon. - I also have another idea for another story! ARGH!! Must keep to one story must keep to one story must keep to one story...


	4. Chidori

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but I own Chidori! So don't steal her!

* * *

A/N: I feel LOVED! Thanks to all you guys who reviewed! You don't know how much it means to me! This chapter is dedicated to all you guys! MissNaye, Krimson Rogue, Travis Lock, Ruki44, Neko Saphira, Dragon Man 180, nishmonkey, kingleby, IlikefrenchfriesYAY1, VenomLord. SPECIAL THANKS TO JSAI! Also… special thanks to MELISSA, SHU YING, ABIGAIL, RACHEL, SHOBA, ANISHA AND GIRLS!

* * *

Recap:

"_I never knew that you could have personal tutoring at Konoha!" Sakura exclaimed as she peered at the girl._

"_That's because nothing of that sort really exists. Am I not correct Hyuuga Hinata-sama" someone exclaimed from the entrance._

_Hinata's eyes widened as she saw the person who had just entered._

"_Neji ni-san…" she whispered._

_She was dead meat.

* * *

_

Her eyes darted from side to side, looking for a means of escape.

"Wait a second… both of you share the same name…both of you have the same features… ARE YOU GUYS RELATED?" Naruto uneasily laughed as he glanced at the two Hyuugas.

"They're related to each other?" Tenten gasped, fumbling with the kunai she had been whirling around her fingers, "Now that I think about it… both of you practically look alike! You never told me that you had a sister Neji!" Tenten glared as she threw the kunai in his direction.

"She's not my sister Tenten. She's my cousin," he calmly replied, catching the kunai with ease.

"Sister, cousin…What's the difference? You didn't even tell us you had any living relatives!" Ino cut in, irritated with the Hyuuga.

Neji did not bother retorting back.

"H…Hello Neiji ni-san. It has been a...a long time since we've seen each other, hasn't it?" Hinata asked, trying to douse the argument that was beginning to heat up.

"Yes. It has. How have you been?" Neiji asked, his cold glare directed at her.

"I'm good... Um… Do… Do you live here now?" she awkwardly asked poking her index fingers together.

"Yes. What are you doing here?"

"I want to um… want to join you guys," she lied, not exactly knowing what she was getting herself into at all.

Neiji gave Hinata a long hard stare.

Hinata almost withered under his cold glare.

_Coldness._

_Hate._

_That's all I could see in his eyes._

'_This is bad… What is Neiji ni-san going to do?' _Hinata thought.

Neiji swiftly turned to face Gaara.

"I would like to request that Hinata-sama stay here,"

'_What?' _Hinata looked alarmed

Nejij turned around to face the group of Ninjas, feeling obliged to share his reasons.

"Hinata-sama did not take any lessons in Konoha because the master of the house wanted her to act as a lady. He felt that she should only be trained to be the perfect wife, but with the right training she can become a formidable ninja," Nejij tried reasoning.

Silence followed his speech.

Hinata could barely think, let alone speak.

'_What's going on? Neiji ni-san didn't tell them about my…my condition?'_

She could only gape at him.

_Something's not right…_

_Why is he doing this?_

_He hates me…_

_Like father…_

_So why?_

_What's he up to?_

_Could it be possible… that he has forgiven me?_

Her train of thoughts was disrupted as she felt someone tap her shoulder.

Looking up she saw Naruto gesturing towards Gaara.

She snapped her head up and looked at the Kazekage who was currently talking to her.

'_I'll worry about that part later. For now, I'll just worry about what I have just gotten myself into…_' she numbly thought as she bit her lower lip.

"Hinata, as you should know by now, all of us are ninjas. Some from Konoha and some from Sand, but there is something different about us. We are an elite group of rebels, also known as the _Jinchuuriki,_"

Hinata's eyes widened.

Gaara continued.

"At the moment, Konoha is being ruled by Orochimaru, one of the infamous Sannin, but he has been filled with the greed to find the elixir to life, and he will stop at nothing to get it,"

_Elixir of life?_

"Thanks to him, many innocent civilians have died, including the Third Hokage, and the fifth Hokage, Tsunade-san, has been captured by him and is currently locked up in one of his dungeons," Gaara paused for awhile clenching his fist.

"That's why we need to rebel against him. We need to save Konoha, and the Hokage. Provided she's still alive," Gaara looked straight at her.

Hinata gulped.

This was definitely something she had not expected.

"Ano…I just have one question…"

"What is it?" Temari asked.

"Um…Well…what is this elixir of life Orochimaru is looking for?" she asked straightening her kimono.

Silence was her answer.

Immediately she regretted her question, she was about to apologize when she heard Naruto softly reply.

"Orochimaru uses a technique called Fushi Tensei (Living Corpse Reincarnation), which allows him to prevent death by leaving his body and inhabiting the body of another,"

Curiosity got the better of her.

"Um, but you said he was still looking for it? If he can use that technique, why would he need an elixir?"

"He's still looking for the perfect body he can inhabit. With the perfect body, he can heal himself no matter what injury is inflicted on him. In other words, he'll be invincible…"

"Th…The perfect body?" Hinata stuttered, she suddenly felt queasy.

"He's looking for the body of a psychic…"

_A psychic!_

It finally dawned on Hinata about what was going on.

Neji was keeping her here so that he could keep an eye on her, so that she wouldn't fall into the hands of Orochimaru. It was not because she was really of any use, or that he had actually forgiven her.

She bowed her head so that nobody could see the tears welling up in her eyes. Slowly clenching and clenching her fists.

She was being used.

Without looking up she merely nodded her head, "Thank you for letting me join. I hope I can be of some use to you," she gritted.

Gaara cleared his throat to get the attention of the ninja in the room.

All heads swiveled in his direction.

"Now onto more serious matters. I got a reply from the Mizukage of Hidden Mist Village. He said he can only afford to send us two ninja," Gaara sighed as he read the piece of paper in front of him.

"TWO NINJA?" was the unanimous response he got from his comrades.

"There is a reason behind this. The village of Hidden mist has been attacked by Orochimaru…"

Ino gasped.

"What…what happened?" she asked, clearly shocked.

"They were ambushed yesterday by a group of about 2000 sound ninja, but they managed to eradicate the enemy. Unfortunately a lot of mist ninja lost their lives in the process," Gaara explained, not looking up.

Silence followed.

"So it has begun huh?" Shikamaru casually asked, gazing at the clouds in the outside window.

"So who are the two ninja he can send us?" Sasuke asked.

"I quote, _'I will be sending you my most loyal and trusted ninja. I hope they will be of help to you. Due to the unforeseen circumstances, I have mentioned above, I cannot afford to send you the promised hundred ninja, but I have full confidence in these two ninja. They alone suffice…' _was exactly what he wrote in the letter.

"I guess nothing can be done about it and besides the more the merrier neh?" Tenten perked up as she jumped off the table she was perched on.

"Yeah! Also, they sound like elite ninjas. If the Mizukage himself said that _they alone suffice_, I'm thinking we should just trust his intuition!" Kiba perked up, petting the humungous dog next to him.

"What else did he mention about the ninja?" Shino abruptly asked.

"Nothing much. He just said that they're both 17 years old. Awfully young for supposedly elite ninjas if you ask me," Kankurou answered, peering over Gaara's shoulder to read the letter.

"When are they coming over?" Ino asked, "And please don't tell me they're both guys. I swear, I'll die if two more block-heads join the Jinchuuriki,"

The other girls nodded in unison. Hinata could only gaze in wonder as she saw chaos break loose I the meeting room.

Gaara leaned back in his chair and sighed heavily at the now squabbling group. Shaking his head hard he happened to see the new recruit smiling at the commotion.

"Find this amusing?"

Hinata turned her head to the source of the voice.

She smile at the kazekage, and then turned back to watch as she answered him.

"They're all very close aren't they?" she answered with a question of her own.

"They certainly are. Except at times I wish they were more serious when it comes to times like this," he wistfully replied throwing his head into his hands.

"Yes. Perhaps your right, but then again, at times like this wouldn't you want laughter instead of solemn words?" as she looked back at the kazekage.

She didn't wait for his answer.

"Arguments bring people closer together. It's a way of acknowledging one another. If they fight quite often it sure does bring life to a tense atmosphere, don't you think so Gaara-kun?" she tilted her head to the side, anticipating a reaction.

'This girl…Who is she…' was all he could think of before an anbu burst into his room.

"GAARA-SAMA! There's trouble at the borders! A group of sound ninja are trying to invade the country! We've sent a group to intercept them, but they're more trouble than we thought," he hurriedly said. Glancing uneasily at the Jinchuujiki.

"Naruto and I will go and see to the problem," Gaara hastened as he gestured Naruto towards the door.

"Problem? What problem?" came a reply from the doorway.

Immediately everyone peered out the doorway.

A girl.

Her chocolate-brown hair was tied up in two high ponytails. She wore black, baggy shorts that reached her mid-thigh, and a blue kimono shirt, which stopped just an inch above her short's cuffs. The sleeves were made of black netting.

A large black bow, tied around the waist secured the top to her lean figure. Her eyes were a bright turquoise. She wore black knee-length boots with white fastenings. Draped across her shoulders, was a sound ninja.

Immediately all the ninjas present in the room dropped into fighting positions.

The brown-haired girl blinked in surprise and bellowed out laughing to the surprise of the other ninja.

"I'm not a sound ninja! I'm the 'help' mizu ji-san sent over!" she pronounced dropping the sound ninja on the ground.

"How did you get in?" Shino asked.

"By the gate! DUH!"

"What about the sound-nin?"

"Oh! They're probably eating sand just as we speak!"

"What…What did you do to them?" Hinata spoke.

"Oh! No worries! I didn't kill them or anything! I just kicked they're sorry little butts!" she laughed evilly, causing the ninja to edge away from her.

"Where's your forehead protector?" Gaara asked not letting up his fighting stance.

Automatically she held her hand out ad pointed to a piece of blue cloth, with a polished piece of metal added to it. "There's your proof! A Mizu village forehead protector!" she gaily replied and held her hands akimbo.

"Do you have the letter that was sent to the Mizukage?" Gaara asked, finally dropping his hands to his side.

She nodded enthusiastically and dropped the bag she had been juggling on her shoulder to the floor.

She began to fumble through its contents, her eyebrows furrowing in concentration.

She finally whipped out a piece of paper and slammed it into Gaara's face. Everyone froze, but the brown-haired girl seemed to not have had a care in the world.

"There you go! Now all I need to do is report to the Kazekage-sama!" she said twirling around to face the shocked ninjas.

"Eh? Did something happen?" she asked confused about their facial expressions.

"T…the Ka…Kazekage i…is…" Kiba stuttered out pointing at Gaara.

"That would be me…" Gaara growled as he snatched the paper off his face.

Confusion was clearly etched on her face, but within a few seconds, her confusion turned into disbelief.

"Ka..KAZEKAGE-SAMA? I'm so sorry! I didn't know!" she wailed repeatedly bowing to Gaara.

"Don't worry about it. Everyone makes mistakes, and don't call me Kazekage-sama, I'm called Gaara," he replied, glancing over the letter 'given' to him by the girl.

He slumped onto his chair and studied the girl.

"Where's the other ninja?" he curtly asked.

"Ehh?"

"The Mizukage wrote to us saying he would send us two ninja,"

"Oh! That! Um… he couldn't come… He…um…he got a really bad…um fever. YEAH! That's it…He'll try to join us later, but it seems rather serious," she unconvincingly stated, earning stares from everyone in the room.

"Um…is that so… I guess nothing can be done. Anyway, introduce yourself," Gaara said, not letting his eyes off he girl.

'They bought the lie…' the girl thought, gulping out off discomfort, caused by the one and only Gaara.

"I'm Chidori Minamino. I'm 17 years old, and currently am the Mizukage's advisor," she said smiling at the group and dipped into a dramatic curtsey.

The same thought occurred to everyone, 'If she's the advisor…I wonder how the Mizukage actually is…"

After everyone else had introduced themselves, she sat down on a chair that had been put out for her.

No time was wasted.

"So how is the condition in Mizu village?

"Not to good Gaara-san. It's as if pandemonium broke loose. We're just trying to rebuild ourselves for now, after which we need to start strengthening our forces to fight Orochimaru," Chidori sighed, slumping in her chair.

"What exactly happened? How were you ambushed?" Lee cut in, staring at the brown-haired girl.

"I…I'm sorry. I don't really know what happened, but we know one thing for sure,"

"What's that?"

"Orochimaru was looking for something , he wasn't there to attack us,"

'Or someone' Chidori thought.

"What was he looking for?"

"I don't know. Nobody knows,"

"I see. I wonder what the sound village is actually planning to do…" Ino interrupted, taping her chin with her finger.

"OH YEAH! I brought that sound-nin to interrogate. He might know a thing or two," Chidori calmly pointed to him.

With one hand, Gaara picked him up effortlessly by his collar and gently shook him violently, "What were you doing in Suna?"

"You think I'm going to tell you? Big joke…I rather die than do something like that," he smirked at him.

"I suggest you tell me now. I'm not a civilized person when I get angry," tightening his grip on him.

He laughed aloud, "Don't think I'm going to be scared off by some bloody guy who has a love tattoo on his forehead!"

Gaara's eyes twitched, and his eyes darkened over.

"I dare you to repeat that…" he gritted.

"I said I'm not going to be…" he gasped as he threw him towards the wall. He hit it with such a violent force the wall actually cracked.

"Don't give me crap. I can kill you right here and now…" he menacingly advanced, cracking his fists for emphasis.

"We were here to…to era…eradicate the village…But…our plans were foiled…because of that…whore…" he said pointing to Chidori.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A WHORE YOU PIPSQUEAK?" she retorted waving her fist at him from afar.

It would have been funny if it weren't for the present situation.

"Why now?" Gaara questioned, ignoring the fuming Chidori.

"We…we got information…that a psychic was…was here," he gasped, fighting to breathe.

Simultaneously Chidori's and Hinata's eyes widened.

"We'll get her…," he said before his eyes rolled over.

He was dead.

"What…What the heck is going on?" Sasuke asked, running his hands through his hair.

"Psychic…" Chidori echoed.

"How the heck did Orochimaru find out Suna has a psychic? Even we didn't know that! Hell, and we _live_ in Suna!" Kiba remarked.

"I don't believe this; he even knew it was a her!" Sakura cussed, punching the wall closest to her.

"In any case, we have to find out who it is, " Naruto spoke up, "and we should all get a good night's rest. We should continue this discussion tomorrow morning,"

"But! Don't we need to find her ASAP?" Ino forged on, stamping her right foot.

"What's the use? We don't even know where to start looking. Unless you have any bright ideas Ino-pig!" Sakura retorted, and so ensued the fight between the two best friends.

"Naruto's right, but before that where should she stay?" Shino pointed towards Chidori.

"You're welcome to stay at my house. I have lots of empty bedrooms," Naruto suggested.

Chidori hadn't been listening to the conversation at all. Her eyes were directed at the wall.

"Hello? Yoohoo! You there?" Temari asked waving her hand in front of her.

"Um…Sorry…What was it?" Chidori asked, snapping out of her trance.

"Would you like to stay at Naruto's house?" Temari asked, repeating Naruto's question.

She gave a head-turning smile, "If it isn't too much trouble…"

"Na! It won't be! I think it'll be more fun. Hinata stays with me too!" he added, gesturing the quite raven-headed girl.

Chidori smiled at her. 'She seems familiar…'

"Alright. It's been decided then. Meeting dismissed!" Gaara claimed.

The ninja filed out of the room. Hinata, Naruto and Chidori trailed after them.

They stepped out of the building, before Chidori realized something.

"SHOOT! I forgot my backpack! I'm sorry! I'll be back in a flash!" she pivoted on her heel and ran back to Gaara's office.

Naruto and Hinata stared blankly at her retreating figure.

"Ano... Did she forget?" Hinata pipped up.

"About what? The fact that her backpack is on her back?" Naruto asked.

She nodded.

"I guess so… How she became the Mizukage's advisor is beyond my understanding…" Naruto commented.

The two grinned at each other before laughing at Chidori's absent-mindedness.

* * *

Chidori ran all the way up to Gaara's office. She reached the last step and huffed her way to the office.

She knocked. She heard her knock echoing through the room, and someone opened the door.

"I'm sorry! I left my bag here!" Chidori rubbed her head with her hand.

"Actually…It's on your back…" Gaara replied as he opened the dorr fully.

"EH? Oh yeah…It is!" she laughed uneasily, and was about to walk off.

"Was there something else you wanted to talk about?" Gaara's voice stopped her.

"You really are very perceptive aren't you?" she turned to face him.

"Or so some say…"

"I just need to warn you about something. I couldn't say it with the earlier, because of all the ninja…"

"What's that?"

"The real reason for Mizu village's ambush was because…we had a spy in our midst. He gave away valuble information that could have led to our downfall had we not been extra vigilant. And... forgive me for my impudence, but I think the same applies here," she cautiously lowered her voice.

"That's impossible! Everyon…"

"Unless you have another theory on how the sound-village knew about you having a psychic, there really is a spy," she cut in.

Gaara just stared at the girl.

"I better get going. Naruto-kun and Hinata-chan are waiting for me! BYE!" she ran off and skipped down the stairs.

"That girl…She isn't normal…" Gaara muttered under his breath and closed the door to his office.

He slumped down on his chair.

He remained motionless for a few seconds before calling out, "Aru?"

"Yes Gaara-sama?" an anbu appeared before him.

"What's the report for the ambush?"

"Hai! None of the sound ninja were killed. They were knocked out cold though," he murmured.

"Knocked out cold? None of then are dead?" Gaara perked.

"Hai!"

A pause followed the statement.

"Kazekage-sama?"

"I need you to dig up some information about two people,"

"Hai Gaara-sama. May I ask for their names?"

"Chidori Minamino and Hinata Hyuuga. Report to me each time you find something about them,"

"Hai!" and he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Chidori Minamino and Hinata Hyuuga. What secrets are you hiding from us? I intend to find out," he spoke to himself as he walked towards the window facing Suna village, and looked down, only to see the two girls talking to Naruto as they walked.

* * *

Well that's it for now! Guess what! I just turned a year older! On the tenth of March! YEAH! Haha. If you have any comments for this chapter please tell me. Sorry for not updating sooner but I really have a lot of duties. CCA, studies, prefect work. So sorry! Please tell me what needs to be improved on! I'll try my best! What would you like to see in the next chapter? More HXN? A little info about Chidori? Tell me please!


	5. Mirai

Author's note: Sorry for the late update! I'll try to update again as soon as possible without disappearing for a few months. Don't worry! I haven't got fed up with this story or anything like that! It's just that I was stumped with how I wanted to continue with it. You could call it a writer's block I guess! Haha! Well anyway, on with the story!

P.S Mirai actually means future.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Recap:

"_I need you to dig up some information about two people,"_

"_Hai Gaara-sama. May I ask for their names?"_

"_Chidori M__inamino and Hinata Hyuuga. __Report to me each time you find something about them,"_

"_Hai!" and he disappeared in a puff of smoke._

"_Chidori Minamino and Hinata Hyuuga. __What secrets are you hiding from us? I intend to find out," he spoke to himself as he walked towards the window facing Suna village, and looked down, only to see the two girls talking to Naruto as they walked._

* * *

"And then the eggs just exploded! My goodness! My WHOLE kitchen was covered in egg! The worst part of it was that majority of the egg exploded on my face! It was dreadful cleaning it all up" Chidori sighed regretfully as she dramatically shook her head, as she walked along the sandy street.

"I see. So I guess we shouldn't microwave half boiled eggs…" Hinata murmured out thoughtfully.

"Who asked you to microwave them in the first place? Only idiots would do that!" Naruto commented.

In a second, his head met the floor.

"BAKA! How was I supposed to know that would happen? I bet you didn't know that either!" she exclaimed, dusting her hands after pounding Naruto into the floor.

"Sure I did! Anyone would!" Naruto answered screaming at her.

"Right! I _so_ believe you! What would you know about cooking? You probably don't even know the difference between a lettuce and a cabbage!" she teased.

"There's a difference? Aren't they both the same?" he asked in bewilderment.

This earned sweat drops from both Chidori and Hinata.

Chidori jumped into a descriptive explanation of what the two vegetables were, and surprisingly Naruto actually was listening.

* * *

Chidori hadn't stopped talking since she started.

Hinata didn't mind.

She liked noise.

After all, she had spent most of life in silence.

At first when Chidori had stepped out of the Kazekage's office, Naruto had insistently teased her about the backpack issue.

Chidori hadn't taken it lightly, instead the 'sweet' girl –well she had _seemed_ sweet- had carried something fierce until he had stopped teasing her, and somehow from there they had ended up talking –more like arguing- about vegetables.

And Hinta enjoyed it.

Before Hinata could continue with her thoughts, she saw Chidori run past her, and skidded to a stop right in front of her.

"Hinata-san! I have no idea how no idea how you can put up with you can actually stand to be with that idiot for even a minute!" she said.

"Idiot? You mean Naruto-kun?"

"I don't think there are any other idiots around at the moment,"

"Naruto-kun isn't that bad… besides, where is he?" Hinata looked around.

"I left that dumb guy to ponder, and decided to talk to more intelligent people,"

"Chidori-chan, Naruto-kun is pretty smart and he is very nice. I'm sure you'll think the same after you spend some time with him," she smiled.

"EHH? Are you sure?"

"Very!"

"How much time have you exactly _spent_ with him?" Chidori suspiciously.

"Ano… I just came yesterday…"

Chidori's jaw dropped.

"Um…but judging from all the time I spent with Naruto-kun he is a very good person!" Hinata protested.

"Hinata nee-chan! You _shouldn't_ be so gullible! What if he's a closet pervert or something?" Chidori eerily asked.

"Eto…I don't think Naruto-kun would be like that,"

"How sure are you?"

"Well…" Hinata motioned to Naruto.

Who was currently banging his head around screaming, "I don't get it? Aren't they both leaves? They're the same thing right? RIGHT?"

Both of them sweat dropped.

"I think I get what you mean… He's too dumb to do something like that," she sighed.

"Forget the darn vegetables! Hinata let's go home!" Naruto softly yanked on Hinata's kimono sleeve.

"Hey! What about me?" Chidori called out.

"What about you?" Naruto shot a glare at the brunette.

"Amn't I invited?"

"You're not welcome in my house. Goodbye!" Naruto stalked off, grabbing Hinata along with him.

"HEY! _You're_ the one who agreed to let me stay at your house! It's not like you didn't have a choice," Chidori argued, running along his side.

"That was BEFORE I got to know you!"

"Naruto-san! Don't be such a wet blanket! I tell you what! I'll promise never to knock on your head and ask if it really is hollow…"

Silence followed.

"Or…how about I stop calling you and idiot, dumbass, nincompoop, loser…" Chidori ticked off mentally, not noticing that Naruto's eye was twitching violently.

"Um…Chidori-chan?" Hinata gently murmured.

"Banana, Baboon, Yankee…Hmm?" Chidori paused in her name calling.

"I would think that now would be a good time to start running," Hinata motioned towards Naruto.

"THAT'S IT! YOU BRAT! LET ME GIVE YOU A GOOD CLOBBERING!" Naruto screamed as he waved his clenched fist at her.

Chidori began to run without looking back.

Naruto was hot on her heels.

Hinata laughed as she picked up the hem of her kimono and jogged after them.

* * *

"Good going smartass!" Naruto smacked Chidori's head.

"Hey! How was I supposed to know! I thought we were on the right track! You didn't say anything!" Chidori winced as she rubbed the abused part of her head.

"I was _shouting_ at you to stop!"

"Oh! So _that's_ what you were shouting about! I thought you were shouting about how you wanted to clobber me!" Chidori retorted.

"Oh yeah! I was shouting about that too!" Naruto replied as he flicked his finger on her forehead.

"Why I ought to…"

Hinata sighed as the two ninja continued with their bickering.

Hinata looked around as she unconsciously started to poke her two index fingers together.

She always used to do that whenever she was nervous, and now she was really nervous.

She had a good excuse to be.

The three of them were hopelessly lost.

She pushed her bangs back as she looked around.

"You shouldn't worry Hinata-san! We'll just ask around and see if anyone knows Naruto-san's address," Chidori smiled as she took Hinata's hands in her own.

"Hey! Why didn't I think of that?" Naruto joined in.

"Hmm. Maybe it's because you're a dobe?" Chidori cheekily offered.

"Yeah. It could be… TWERP! What did you just say?"

"Hey! It's not like _I_ forced you to agree to that remark!"

"For once I'm going to let that comment slide," Naruto growled as he walked to the nearest building.

The other two followed.

-A few minutes later-

"Man! What bad luck!" Naruto scratched his head as he looked at his address scrawled on a piece of paper.

The owner hadn't even heard of the street Naruto mentioned.

"Oh well! I'm sure we'll have more luck at some other store! I mean how big can this place be?" Chidori smiled, as she dragged Naruto and Hinata to the next building.

-A few hours later-

"I GIVE UP! This village IS big!" Chidori panted as she slouched to the ground.

"Hey! Don't slack off! I'm sure there must be someone who knows this address!" Naruto grinned as he pulled her off the ground.

"I'm _exhausted_! Can't we take a break?" Chidori gasped.

"The faster we get home, the faster you can rest!" Naruto smiled.

Hinata glanced around before walking up to a small tent.

"Ano…Why don't we try this place?" Hinata called out.

Naruto and Chidori looked at her, then to the tent, and then finally back to her.

"That place seems…creepy…" Chidori shivered as she dusted herself off.

"It's worth a shot! Come on!" Naruto walked into the tent.

Hinata followed.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Chidori rushed in.

The tent seemed dark and gave off a musty smell. Weird items hung off the walls.

Antlers, turtle shells, skulls… Definitely not your ordinary store.

"Ano…Is anyone there?" Hinata called out as she pulled back the beaded curtains.

Silence followed.

"Ano…"

"Yes?" came a reply from the deepest corner of the tent.

Chidori literally jumped onto Naruto.

"Oh my gosh! That scared me!" she smiled apologetically at Naruto as she released him from her death grip.

Naruto laughed, "You mean you're actually _scared_ of something?"

Chidori glared daggers at him.

An old woman came forward an enchanting smile graced her lips.

"How may I help you?" she gently asked.

"We're kind of lost. Do you happen to know this address?" Naruto asked, showing her a withered old piece of paper.

She scanned the paper before nodding.

Immediately the three ninjas' faces lit up.

"I can draw out the directions for you if you like?" she smiled.

"We would be most grateful if you did," Naruto flushed.

"I'll be happy to, but I must ask the three of you to do a favour for me in return," the old woman proceeded to a drawer and pulled out a pen and paper.

"What would that be madam?" Hinata finally spoke.

"I would like to read all of your futures,"

"Our futures?" Chidori didn't look convinced.

"Yes. You see, I'm a fortune teller and my career is to read other people's futures, but recently I haven't been getting a lot of customers, and I'm afraid I might loose touch! So…"

"You want to read our futures just to _check_ that your ability is still intact?" Chidori finished.

"That would be one way of putting it,"

"Well. I'm not exactly a believer of all this hocus pocus stuff, but if it gets us to your house I'm up to it," Chidori quipped up after a moment's thought.

"Count me in," Naruto smiled.

Hinata remained silent.

"Hinata-chan?" Naruto worriedly asked.

She remained unresponsive.

'I wonder what she's thinking…' Naruto thought as he looked at the raven headed girl.

* * *

'What should I do?' Hinata thought.

_What if she sees something that shouldn't be seen?_

_What if she sees something that's better left unseen?_

_What if she sees my death?_

_Why are there so many what ifs?_

Hinata sighed heavily. It was only then that she felt someone tapping her shoulder.

She snapped out of her trance and looked over her shoulder to see a worried blonde looking at her.

"Are you alright? We don't really have to do this if you feel uncomfortable," Naruto whispered.

Hinata couldn't help but let a smile grace her lips.

'How sweet… He's worried about me…' she blushed.

_I'm sure it will be fine. I'm sure she really can't see the future!_

"I'm alright!" she directed her gaze at Naruto, "and I'm fine with this,"

_I mean, she really can't… right?_

Naruto released her shoulder but worry still etched across his face.

'What's she hiding?' was all he could think as he watched the two females follow the fortuneteller.

_Whatever she is hiding, she can't hide for long…_

* * *

"Please do sit down," the fortuneteller sighed, as she pulled out four chairs from a circular table.

The three ninja sat down.

The fortuneteller pulled a bag from under the table before pulling out a clear crystal ball. She then carefully put it in the centre of the table and smiled.

"Who would like to be first?" she pleasantly asked.

"I'll go!" Naruto perked up as he grinned at the lady.

"So Ms Fortuneteller lady. What do I have to do?" his hands fluttering on the table.

"Please, call me Mirai! All you have to do is put your right hand on the crystal ball," Mirai smiled at the blonde.

"That's it?" Naruto asked.

"That's it,"

"Well… If you say so…" confused he put his right hand on the ball.

Mirai concentrated all her attention on the ball. Her eyes glazed over.

For a moment nobody spoke, then a whisper fell out of Mirai's mouth.

"Excuse me?" Hinata caught the movement of her mouth.

"I said this boy's future is clouded with danger. You've had close brushes with death haven't you?" she heeded.

Naruto's eyes narrowed down, "What of it?"

"Well… You will have many more, but you have to be careful. Very careful. You must protect your loved ones at all costs, for your enemies will harm them to get to you," Mirai whispered.

"Who? Who are they? These enemies of mine that is…" Naruto almost jumped.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know. You'll find out for yourself. You have experienced much sadness while you were a child, but it seems your future will hold happiness. A lot of happiness. Most importantly, you will find love," after a short giggle, "in the most unlikely place and in the most unlikely person,"

Naruto looked at Mirai as though she had gone mad.

"It's true! You currently have a crush on someone don't you?"

"How did y…" Naruto jumped in but was cut short by Mirai.

"That person does not love you, and neither do you love her. Call it infatuation if you must, but if you look closely the person you love is right under your nose,"

"The only thing that's under my nose is this table," Naruto drawled out.

Chidori rolled her eyes at his lame joke.

"Yes well. You shouldn't be too naïve. It could cost you your life, and your friends. Now would be a good time for you to build up on your techniques and jutsus. You're hardworking and reliable, and thanks to those attributes you will be able to achieve one of your dreams," she smiled.

"Which dream?" Naruto asked inquisitively.

"I can't tell you. You'll find out for yourself,"

"Hai, Hai. I'm guessing that's the end of my reading?"

"Yes Naruto-kun. Which of you young ladies would like to go next?" Mirai asked as she looked at the too females.

Silence.

"Um… Would you like me to go next? Or would you like to be next?" Chidori asked noticing Hinata's discomfort during Naruto's reading.

"You can go if you like," Hinata sent Chidori a grateful look.

"Alright. Now that it has been decided, please put your right hand on the crystal ball," Mirai asked.

"Just so you know. I don't believe in all this, this, this fortune cookie stuff and all Mirai-san" Chidori huffed as she smacked her hand down on the crystal ball.

"Whatever I say you can choose not to believe," Mirai calmly spoke as she concentrated on the ball.

Chidori didn't say anything.

"I…I see death," Mirai gasped.

"What?"

"You, you will touch the hand of death, but… but by some miracle, you won't die. Right may seem wrong, and wrong may seem right, but to decipher which is right, always follow your heart,"

"Huh?"

A smile played across her face as she watched the confused brunette stare at her.

"You may not understand now, but it will make sense someday,"

"Um…Right…"

"You like someone, but you think the other guy doesn't like you. I suggest you think otherwise,"

"Right. That will be the day. All he does is…wait a sec. Why am I discussing _my_ love life with _you_? How do you know about that anyway?"

"What I know, I know. Moving on, you shouldn't be so naïve, or too kind. At times, cruelty may be needed or it may end in your death. Your childhood, had many tradegies and you had to watch many die, but because of that you've become a better person in life and you have many people who believe in you, which will make you a great leader. So stop underestimating yourself," Mirai announced.

"Who are you?" Chidori echoed as she peered at the middle-aged fortuneteller.

"I'm just an old fortuneteller,"

"Just a fortuneteller?" she prodded.

"Just a fortuneteller,"

"Whatever you say. Hinata-san, it's your turn!" Chidori looked suspicious of the fortuneteller but didn't say anymore.

"Hai…" Hinata slowly placed her right hand gently on the crystal ball.

"Wait!"

Chidori looked up to gaze at Mirai.

"What happened to him was not your fault," Mirai mumured.

For a moment, Chidori looked confused, then her eyes widened.

A mixture of emotions played across her eyes.

"I don't think I can agree with that Mirai-san" she whispered.

With a sigh, Mirai shook her head and gazed closely at the ball.

"I…I can't see anything," Mirai looked shocked.

"I beg your pardon?"

"What I mean to say is that your future is, unstable… It's always changing,"

"Unstable?" Chidori echoed.

"Well. I can say for sure that the person you have a crush on will return his feelings soon. Oh yes! No matter what you do, you will always have friends or loved by your side. So you will never be alone. Believe in yourself, and most importantly believe in your friends. They're more accepting than you think they are,"

"It's not that easy," Hinata muttered.

"It's not that hard," Mirai countered.

Hinata didn't answer.

"Give her a break!" Chidori jumped in.

Immediately all heads swiveled to her.

"Trust is something you can give freely! You have to earn it! Hinata-san can't just trust us like that! She can't just trust because _you_ said so!" Chidori continued.

"What I'm trying to…"

"Don't! _You're_ a stranger! How are we supposed to know what you say is true? Blind trust doesn't let you go far in life,"

"You speak from experience. Don't you?"

"You're right! I do! I had to learn it the hard way. I blindly trusted someone I had known my whole life , and thanks to him, I lost a friend, in more than one way. Therefore, don't you _dare_ ask Hinata-san to trust just like that! Let her take her own sweet time,"

"Chidori-chan…" Hinata whimpered.

"Hinata-san, it's all up to you. Whom you want to trust, and who you don't think you should trust, it's up to you! Don't let anyone decide for you. No matter what. You have to choose, after all, it is your life you're living, not anyone else's," Chidori looked straight at Hinata.

_It's all up to you…_

_You…_

_You…_

_You…_

"It's been so long since I've been given a choice," Hinata sobbed.

"I'm glad," Mirai sighed.

"Eh?" Chidori gave Mirai a blank look.

"I was so worried for the both of you," Mirai admitted as she sank back into her chair.

"Us?" Hinata asked.

"You and Chidori. Both of you kept all your feelings bottled up inside, when you have friends surrounding you. Trust is vital if you want to succeed in life. Both of you have had too many bad experiences. So much that you can't even trust a person without hesitation and doubts,"

"You saw all that in a _crystal_ _ball_?" Chidori asked in disbelief.

"Yes, well. Trust each other. Deception may revolve around you, but you two can count on each other. You're more bonded to each other than you think. Now I think its best if you all go home and rest. It has been a long day for all of you," Mirai gave her final smile as she ushered the three ninja out of the tent.

"So all of that trust stuff was just to get us to open up to each other?" Naruto blanched.

"In a way, yes. Now go straight home!" Mirai waved them off as she re-entered her tent.

The three ninja walked off, pondering about what had just happened.

"Ano… What _was_ that all about?" Chidori finally asked.

"I don't know either…" Hinata sighed.

'Wait a sec! Let's go ask that lady how come she…Where did the tent go?" Chidori's eyes widened as she scanned the premises for the tent.

"EH? You're right! Where did it go? It was just here a minute ago!" Naruto scratched his head.

"Perhaps we walked further than we thought. I mean, things don't just vanish into thin air right? Let's ask that guy!" Chidori pointed at a passerby.

"Excuse me, but do you know if there's any fortuneteller's tent around here?"

"Tent? There's no such thing here!" the male looked puzzled.

"Are you sure?" Naruto peered at him.

"I've lived here all my life and I've never seen a tent here before!" the man shook his head and walked off, muttering something about pranks.

"If…If there's no such thing…Who…Who were we talking to?" Hinata quivered.

"G…Gh…Ghosts?" Chidori tensed.

Immediately both girls hugged each other as they shook in fear.

"Anosah, Anosah! Now that I think about it, the same thing happened to me while I was at the Hyuuga household! There was this lady who invited me in, we met for the first time but she somehow knew my name, and by the time I turned around to ask how, she disappeared!" Naruto dramatized before the frozen stiff girls.

"BAKA! Don't lie!" Chidori whacked him on the head.

"I WASN'T LYING!"

And yet again the bickering between the two followed.

'I wonder if we'll ever get home…' sighed Hinata as she looked up into the vast sky.

* * *

Hmm. So who is this Mirai? I wonder… MWAHAHAHAHA I feel evil today, but I'm not going to leave a cliffhanger for now. I was really tempted to though. Wonder if the trio will ever get home? Please review!


	6. Tea

I'm so sorry! I haven't had a good term, and I had lots of exams and prefect work and stuff, I'll try and update as soon as I can, but please try to understand! Thanks for those who reviewed! Since most of the reviewers wished for NARUHINA I tried. I think I rushed it though.

Disclaimer: Thee do not possess nor own Naruto.

(But that doesn't mean she doesn't wish she does)

* * *

"_Excuse me, but do you know if there's any fortuneteller's tent around here?"_

"_Tent? There's no such thing here!" the male looked puzzled._

"_Are you sure?" Naruto peered at him._

"_I've lived here all my life and I've never seen a tent here before!" the man shook his head and walked off, muttering something about pranks._

"_If…If there's no such thing…Who…Who were we talking to?" Hinata quivered._

"_G…Gh…Ghosts?" Chidori tensed._

_Immediately both girls hugged each other as they shook in fear._

"_Anosah, Anosah! Now that I think about it, the same thing happened to me while I was at the Hyuuga household! There was this lady who invited me in, we met for the first time but she somehow knew my name, and by the time I turned around to ask how, she disappeared!" Naruto dramatized before the frozen stiff girls._

"_BAKA! Don't lie!" Chidori whacked him on the head._

"_I AMN'T!"_

_And yet again the bickering between the two followed._

'_I wonder if we'll ever get home…' sighed Hinata as she looked up into the vast sky._

* * *

Chidori dropped her compact, dark blue bag on the floor of Naruto's quaint apartment, and stretched.

"Mou! It feels good to finally be able to sit down, rest and relax!" she groaned as she dropped herself onto Naruto's couch.

"It's your fault we got lost in the first place, so don't complain!" Naruto grumbled.

"Hai Hai!" Chidori yawned, her eyelids dropping slightly.

"I'll just get your room ready!" Naruto yelled out, from the room next to Hinata's.

"Mmm. Whatever you say -yawn- Naruto-san…n…n…" Chidori muttered as she unwittingly let sleep overtake her, falling sideways onto the couch.

Naruto strolled out a few minutes later to call the brunette into the room, only to see her sleeping on the couch.

A smile played across his lips as he grabbed an extra blanket from his room and covered her with it.

He then carried her bag into the room he had readied for the girl, and placed it at the foot of the bed.

Meanwhile, Hinata walked out of the kitchen, gently smiling at the girl, and at Naruto who had just closed the door.

"Guess she really was exhausted huh?"

"Well, she did journey all the way from the Hidden Mist Village to here," Hinata gazed at the young girl.

"Tea?" held up a cup.

"Thanks," Naruto accepted the cup she was carrying.

Hinata smiled as she began to drink from her own cup.

"I guess we'll just leave Chidori here," Naruto murmured before pulling Hinata out to the balcony.

From there he jumped up to the roof with his free hand, and then pulled a sputtering and protesting Hinata, up.

"I love this place," he started, "I can just stare at the clouds passing by, look at the sunset and not think of anything. No enemy ninjas, no Orochimaru, nothing. Me and Shikamaru used to do this loads of times back in Konoha," Naruto settled down and patted the tiles next to him.

After her initial shock, Hinata smoothed her kimono and sat down gently.

A breeze blew back wisps of raven hair from her face.

Naruto watched her serene face, 'She's beautiful…'

Immediately he smacked himself for such a thought.

"Do you miss K…Konoha?"

"Eh?" Naruto distracted himself from what he had been thinking about earlier.

"D…Do you miss Konoha village? All your f…friends, family, relatives?" Hinata repeated.

"Nah! I don't miss it that much, except for the Ichiraku Ramen. There's nothing left for me back there. No family or relatives and all my friends are here, for the moment that is. I guess they will go back eventually… I mean, they do have their family there so yeah, but I might consider staying on," Naruto sighed.

"S…Staying? Here in Suna Village?"

"Yeah. Might shift over to become a shinobi of Suna village. Gaara hinted to me that he wants me to stay too," Naruto mumbled.

"I see… Actually, I don't want to go back to Konoha either, but I can't leave it. It holds some of my most precious memories," Hinata closed her eyes as she set down the cup and leaned back against her arms.

"Memories huh?" Naruto rested his arms beneath his head as he lied back down.

'Most of my memories were bad ones. So I don't really miss it,' Naruto thought to himself.

"So tell me a bit about yourself Naruto-kun!"

"Eh? Myself?"

"Yeah. What do you like? What's your favourite food?" Hinata faced the blonde teenager.

"Mmmm…I love ramen and gardening. Um…I think that's about it…" Naruto mentally ticked off.

"G…Gardening?"

"Yeah! I don't seem like the kind do I?"

"N…No offence Naruto-kun, but no,"

"Ha! I knew it, but I do like plants! I even gave a plant I grew to one of my teachers,"

Hinata smiled at the thought of Naruto digging up plants, and actually growing them.

"What about you? What do you like to do?"

"Well… when I was younger, I loved to cook,"

"That would explain how you can make all those dishes earlier! Did you learn them by yourself?"

"No, my mom taught me! She was a really good cook,"

"And so are you! Guess it must run in the family,"

Hinata blushed several shades of red.

"T…thanks,"

In her embarrassment she accidentally moved her hand, toppling her empty teacup in the process.

The cup rolled down the roof, and Hinata, in a bid to catch the falling cup, lunged for it.

She managed to grab it, but lost her footing while doing so.

Hinata felt herself fall off the roof. Her arms braced out in front of her, fear took hold of her.

She squeezed her eyes shut.

She definitely did NOT want to see herself die.

Within those few seconds, she felt someone grasp her wrist and yank her back.

She landed with a 'thud' back on the roof.

'Am I in heaven?' Hinata thought as she felt warmth engulf her, but then she felt her old wounds making themselves known.

'Unfortunately not,' she sighed as she slowly pried her eyes open.

She regretted her decision.

She was face to face with Naruto.

She could feel her face heating up as lavender eyes met cerulean blue eyes.

* * *

I groaned.

I must have used more force than I intended to.

I opened my eyes to see Hinata right on top of me.

'DEFINITELY USED MORE FORCE THAN I INTENDED TO!' my conscious screamed in my mind.

Her eyes were squeezed shut.

'Maybe I could just move a bit,' I thought, but unfortunately at that moment her eyes fluttered open.

Her lavender eyes widened when she realized she was on top of me.

Right before my eyes, she blushed several shades of red.

'How cute,' I smirked.

"Like what you see Hinata-chan?" I teased.

* * *

"Like what you see Hinata-chan?" Naruto teased.

Immediately she scrambled up, breaking the trance and dusted herself.

"W…What are you talking about Naruto-kun! Y…You're teasing me aren't you?" she tried to glare at him.

"Come on Hinata-chan! You know you want this hot body!" Naruto struck her a pose.

"A…Actually I don't," she smiled to herself.

'Two can play this game,' she thought as she felt her nervousness evaporate into thin air.

"Awww! I know that isn't what you _really_ think! Don't you think I'm _hot_?" Naruto prodded.

"Hmmm. I think… you're… adequate," Hinata smiled as she tried to clamber down the roof with the cups in hand.

"ADEQUATE! You get back here! What do you mean by _adequate_?" Naruto yelled as he proceeded to follow her.

"I…I meant exactly what I said," she walked into the kitchen and put the two cups in the sink.

"Hinata! That's… THUNK!"

Upon hearing the noise, Hinata turned off the tap and ran to the living room.

An angry brunette was shaking Naruto to death.

"Can you not SEE that SOME people are _trying_ to sleep!" she emphasized each word with a shake.

"Glad to see you're awake Chidori-chan!" Hinata broke in.

"You…OH!" Chidori dropped the dizzy Naruto onto the ground, "Sorry about that! Didn't notice you were… well… _listening_…" Chidori laughed uneasily.

"It's alright. After all, it's rather funny seeing the two of you fight," Hinata smiled at Chidori.

The both of them laughed.

"I'm going to have a shower. Do you need anything?" Hinata asked as she walked to her room.

"Nah! I'm fine. You go have that shower of yours!" Chidori waved her off.

As Hinata closed the door, Chidori walked towards the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator door to have a look inside.

"Ugh. What the heck does this guy eat?" Chidori muttered to herself as she looked at the almost vacant refrigerator.

She looked through the other cupboards only to find them in a similar state.

She finally reached the last drawer, expecting to find it empty to. As she peered into it, a small grin graced her lips.

"Somehow, I think I know his favourite food…" as she stared at the instant ramen cups.

She slid the drawer close and walked out of the kitchen.

By then, Naruto had finally revived himself and was groaning as he got up.

"Mou! You're almost like a second Sakura! As if _one_ Sakura wasn't enough, " he winced as he felt his head throb.

"Hai Hai! Anyway, could I borrow some money?" she asked as she held out her hand.

"What for?" Naruto's eyes narrowed on her.

"For groceries… Your kitchen is in a dire need of _food_," Chidori emphasized.

"It does have food! It has…"

"A drawer filled with instant ramen. Yes, yes. I know that, but don't you think it's rather unhealthy? All that MSG and stuff they put inside?"

"You and Hinata think too much alike,"

"Hinata said the same thing?"

"Yeah! Well anyway, what's _wrong_ with instant ramen?"

"Like I said. It's _unhealthy_! What part of unhealthy do you not understand?"

"ALRIGHT! I don't need _another_ lecture! Here! Just go buy whatever _healthy_ stuff you want ok?" Naruto thrust his pink frog wallet at her.

Chidori stared at it for a few seconds before squealing.

"KAWAI! IT'S SO CUTE! I never would have thought _you_ would keep such a thing! Does it have a name?" she squealed out as she walked out of the apartment.

"Yes, its called Gama-chan and wait a sec! You _do_ know where the nearest supermarket is don't you?" Naruto called out to her.

In a split second, she was back at his side.

"Unlike you, I MAKE an effort to remember important places when I'm in a _new_ place. Of course I know where the supermarket is!" she poked her index finger on his chest before she stalked off, fiddling with Gama-chan.

"Now I know why Shikamaru calls women _troublesome_," Naruto groaned as he plopped himself onto the couch.

* * *

Hinata stepped out of the shower, drying her wet hair. She wrapped the towel around her head and put on a different kimono.

It had a beautiful and intricate design.

It was a white kimono with red and orange maple leaves entwined around it. The obi was a dark yellow, and the nagajuban was a light purple.

"I should really get some other clothing. Kimonos are really hard to run in, and I do wish the sleeves weren't so long," she sighed to herself as she ran the comb through her short hair.

'Still feels a bit weird having short hair. I've felt so used to having long hair all my life,' as she ran her fingers through her hair. Staring at her reflection in the mirror.

"Well, the one good thing about having long sleeves is the fact that it hides all my bruises," she spoke to no one in particular.

She was just hanging her towel up to dry when she heard groans and moans coming from the living room.

Quickly unlocking the door, she dumped her soiled clothes on the floor and rushed to the scene.

Naruto was sprawled on the couch, punching imaginary enemies.

"Leave him alone. He hasn't done anything," he muttered in his sleep, tears had fallen from his eyes.

'Again?' Hinata realized, recalling the earlier incident to mind.

Carefully she soothed back his messy hair and stroked his head.

"There now. It's going to be alright Naruto-kun! Don't worry. I'm right here," she comforted him as she sank on her knees to the floor.

His movements reached a halt as he fell into a more peaceful slumber. She stayed like that for awhile, indulging in the moment. After awhile, she was about to hoist herself up, when she saw Naruto roll off the couch.

And right onto her lap.

Her famous blush etched across her face, her hands fluttered at her side, unsure of what to do.

She stopped however when she saw Naruto give a heart-breaking smile.

'I guess…I…I can wait until he moves by himself,' she reasoned with herself as she leaned against the couch and stroked Naruto's hair back gently.

* * *

Chidori paid for the purchases and walked back to the apartment.

Taking into account the rapidly darkening sky. She hurried her footsteps and walked to the apartment.

'Thank goodness the supermarket is just a stone's throw away from the apartment,' she mentally thanked as she hefted the heavy bags up the flight of stairs.

When she reached the door, she dropped the numerous bags onto the ground, and unlocked it with the key inside Gama-chan.

"I'm home!" she called out, as she carried in the groceries and locked the door shut.

'Funny how I've just spent not even an hour here and still can call it home,'

"Hello?" she called out again, when she received no answer.

Muttering to herself, she flicked on the lights in the living room but immediately flicked them off. For she saw Hinata and Naruto dead to the world on the floor.

"Kawaii," she whispered as she gazed at their position, Naruto on Hinata's lap.

She grabbed the blanket that had been abandoned on the sofa and gently spread it across Naruto.

Then scouring around her bedroom -Which was not hard to find, considering Naruto had already put her bag inside it- she found another extra blanket and slowly wrapped it around Hinata.

"Really.I feel like the older person here, wrapping the both of you up. You could catch a cold you know!" she lectured to the two, who evidently weren't listening.

"Anyway, Goodnight you two!" she lowered her voice.

She then tugged the gigantic, brown paper bags into the kitchen and unpacked the items.

A few hours later she was done arranging all the items to her liking.

She then boiled a pot of hot water and mixed some green tea leaves with it.

The smell of freshly brewed tea wafted into the air, as she poured herself a cup and left the remaining liquid on the stove.

Pulling out a chair near the counter, she sank into it with a loud groan.

"Kaname… I hope you're alright…You better take care of yourself until we meet again, you baka…" she whispered as she gazed out the window into the starry skies.

After awhile, she chugged the tea down her throat, washed the cup and walked off to her room with a yawn.

* * *

The first rays of dawn peeked through the curtains in Naruto's apartment.

Naruto's eyelids fluttered open. With a loud yawn, he stretched and rolled to the side.

'My pillow seems extra warm and comfortable this morning,' he thought to himself as he snuggled into it.

He opened his eye for a split second.

'Yes. My white, orange and red pillow…ORANGE AND RED PILLOW?' with a start he jumped up. His eyes widened when he realized his 'pillow' was actually Hinata's lap.

'Wait a sec, this isn't my bedroom!' realization dawned on him as he looked around to find himself in the living room.

After a moment's thought, "Oh yeah. I fell asleep on the couch yesterday, but that doesn't explain how I got on Hinata's lap,"

He looked at the peacefully sleeping girl.

"But it does explain how I slept peacefully without any nightmares that's for sure," he said aloud.

With a grunt, he carried the indigo-haired girl in his arms.

He kicked open her room door and gently laid her in her bed.

Tucking the covers around her, he watched her snuggle into it's warmth and heave a sigh of content.

He watched her sleep for a while before pulling a chair from the nearby table and sitting on it with its backrest in front of him.

He crossed his arms and rested it on the backrest, followed by his chin.

"You know, you look like an angel when you sleep," he whispered as he fingered wisps of her hair in his fingers.

"I don't know why your father locked you up but I hope one day, you'll trust me enough to tell me. You father must have been senile to lock you up, but I couldn't care less, but thanks to him, I met you! I promise to protect you with all my heart and soul," he got up and kissed the Hyuuga maiden on her forehead before shutting the door to the room.

He leaned against the shut door, "And when I make a promise, I _keep it_,"

Naruto then walked to the kitchen to get himself a cup of instant ramen, only to find Chidori boiling something in a pot.

"'Morning! Glad to see you up and about!" she smiled as she stirred the contents in the pot.

An aghast Naruto watched in horror at the hidden mist ninja.

"YOU can actually COOK?"

"Sit down before you fall over, and yes I can. The Mizukage was a _terrible_ cook. He couldn't even toast a bread to save his life! Which is why_ I, _had to learn how to cook so he would actually eat _something_. Did you know that he could go on without food for a week? I swear, if I wasn't chasing him to put something in his mouth he'd wither away and die, that old geezer," she stirred the pot even more vigorously, fueled by her irritation and anger.

"He wasn't the _only_ one! My neighbour always _invited himself_ over for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Sometimes, he invited his OTHER friends along! _Excuse me_, but _whose_ house was he inviting them to? Duh! MINE! Darn men can't even cook a decent meal!" she muttered more to herself than to the blond shinobi.

"Anosah, you're really a morning person aren't you? How can you _possibly_ talk so _much_ in the _morning_?" Naruto eased himself onto the chair, not really listening to the girl's babbling.

"Hmmm. I prefer the nighttime though! The weather is so nice, and it's so calm and serene and peaceful," she sighed wistfully as she ladled the contents into six bowls.

"Never would have thought you liked peace. Whatcha' making anyway?" he sniffed the aroma which escaped from the pot.

"Why don't you see for yourself?" she smiled as she placed the bowl in front of his eyes.

His eyes widened as he smiled in recognition.

One word described the dish, and only one word was needed.

"RAMEN!"

* * *

His sudden shout awakened the sleeping Hyuuga with a start. She rubbed her eyes to wipe away any remaining sleepiness and stumbled into the bathroom, followed by the kitchen.

"'Morning Hinata-san! I've already made breakfast so you don't have to worry!" Chidori called out as she slurped up the noodles.

Hinata blinked in surprise as she stared at Naruto gobbling down the noodles.

"Ramen?" Hinata asked as she sat down next to Naruto.

"After I saw all those instant ramen cups I figured he liked it, so I cooked it," she smiled as she placed her empty bowl in the sink.

"There's plenty more, so help yourself!" she told the two as she covered the three extra bowls and stacked them in a paper bag.

"Not as good as Ichiraku Ramen's unfortunately," Naruto declared between mouthfuls.

"That's his way of saying its good," Hinata smiled as she savoured the soup.

"Who are the three extra bowls for?" Naruto asked.

"Huh? Oh! Forget to tell you. I'm going over to the Kazekage's office. I need to ask him for a small favour. This is my way of bribing him!" she smiled evilly as she carried the paper bag to the door and slipped on her boots.

"I'm setting off! Don't worry about me one bit! You go on and do whatever you want to do! I'll be back late, but I have the key, which I took from Gama-chan, which by the way is on the living wrong coffee table. Bye!"

A slam followed her exit.

"She sure does love to talk fast doesn't she?" Naruto remarked as he served himself another helping.

Hinata nodded as she quietly ate her noodles.

"I wonder what we should do today…" Naruto wondered aloud as he peered at the female next to him.

"OH YEAH! I have to get you _clothes_. Can't have you wearing kimonos forever can I?" Naruto jumped up.

'Even though they do look good on her,' he added as an afterthought.

"Eh?"

"Come on! You finish off your breakfast and I will go change! Then you can choose your clothes ok?" he whizzed off leaving a speechless Hinata at the dining table.

"Looks like I didn't even have to ask him…" Hinata stared after him as she continued to slurp from her bowl.

Then with a sudden enlightenment, she paused with her spoon poised in mid-air.

"By the way, how _did_ I get to my bed?"

* * *

And that's a wrap, for this chapter. Ok, you have NO idea how much trouble I got into trying to smuggle this chapter onto fanfiction. Curses to some people. Next chapter may take some time, and I'm so sorry for those who reviewed but I haven't put your name. Don't worry! Next chapter will be dedicated to you people! I hope I can reach a 50(Dream on) or maybe a 45 for reviews so please do REVIEW! Forgive me if there are any grammer mistakes ok?


	7. Shopping

Author's note: Hey everyone! A friend and I are currently having a bet on who can find each other's fanfiction pen name. So wish me good luck! The loser has to write a fanfiction, dedicated to the winner. I have till Sunday so BOOYA! I've got loads of apologies and thank yous to make so do scroll down to the next note!

Disclaimer: I own not Naruto

* * *

Flashback

"_OH YEAH! THAT REMINDS ME! I have to get you clothes. Can't have you wearing kimonos forever can I?" Naruto jumped up._

'_Even though they do look good on her,' he added as an afterthought._

"_Eh?"_

"_Come on! You finish off your breakfast and I will go change! Then you can choose your clothes ok?" he whizzed off leaving a speechless Hinata at the dining table._

"_Looks like I didn't even have to ask him…" Hinata stared after him as she continued to slurp from her bowl._

_Then with a sudden enlightenment, she paused with her spoon poised in mid-air._

"_By the way, how __did__ I get to my bed?"

* * *

_

A few meters away from Naruto's house, a chocolate brown headed figure balanced a parcel in hand, running along the desolate path.

Abruptly, she stopped, almost toppling over the contents in hand.

"Before I go to the Kazekage's office, I should check the public library. Maybe it has the book I want… I mean it _would_ save me a lot of trouble if I found it. I wouldn't need to answer all the questions that are bound to arise if I ask him…" she muttered to herself.

She got the directions to the library and headed towards it.

'Here we go!' she readied herself, pushing open the heavy oak doors of the library, and began her quest.

* * *

Naruto dragged Hinata into various shops. Her mind was in a whirl as he got her new equipment, scrolls, books, a first-aid kit…anything and everything that a 'starter' ninja would need.

After what seemed like hours –even though it really was only 30 minutes- he stopped in front of a huge shopping complex.

"Alright. We're almost done," Naruto proclaimed as he took her hand and led her through the glass doors.

"Almost?" Hinata sighed.

How she hated troubling people.

"You didn't think I would forget that you need clothes now did you? That was the main reason for this trip anyway," he grinned.

He abruptly stopped in front of a sales-assistant, causing Hinata to crash into him.

"Uzumaki-san! It's a pleasure doing business with you! How may I help you?" the young woman in front of him smiled with a sense of familiarity.

"Matsuri-chan! I need some help here. Could you help me pick out some outfits for a friend of mine? Money wouldn't be an object of course," he head-butted the air in Hinata's direction.

She eyed Hinata, summing her up.

Hinata squirmed uncomfortably under her gaze.

Suddenly, the sales-assistant gave a head-turning smile.

"I would _love_ to dress her up! A friend of yours?" she cheekily smiled.

Hinata turned to face Naruto, curious about his answer.

"A very _special_ friend of mine," he corrected and winked at Hinata, who turned a bright red.

He didn't seem to notice, for he looked at his wristwatch.

"Take good care of her then! I'll be roaming the…"

"Nonsense! You will stay right here! Your _special_ friend can give you a fashion parade! Right Miss _special_ friend?" she teased him.

Before they both could utter a reply, she had disappeared.

"Neh. Are you comfortable with …?"

"Ano, if you aren't comfortable…" both Naruto and Hinata started.

They smiled.

"I don't mind staying, unless you don't want me here that is…" Naruto admitted as he ruffled his hair.

"I'd love to have you here," Hinata gave him a breath-taking smile.

"Well, that's settled I guess," Naruto forced out, trying to calm his rapid heartbeat.

"Matsuri-chan, she seems nice," Hinata tried searching for the brown-headed girl.

"Yeah. She is. I met her through Gaara. Did you know she once was Gaara's student, but only briefly," he added.

"Why is that?"

"Gaara didn't want her to get hurt again,"

Confusion was etched on her face, but soon it dawned on her.

"She was hurt because she was Gaara-san's student?"

"Yeah. Kidnapped more like. Anyway, he handed her over to Temari-san to teach. She's now a full-fledged anbu cum sales assistant. She likes to work as the latter to occupy herself whenever she doesn't have missions,"

Before Hinata could ask any more questions, Matsuri returned with a colourful bundle and chair in tow.

"Now sit back, relax and enjoy the show!" she announced as she pushed Hinata into one of the changing stalls.

Hinata gulped.

If there was _one_ thing she hated _more_ than troubling people, it was being the centre of attention.

* * *

A few hours later, Chidori sneaked into the Kazekage's office through the door.

"Yo!" she greeted the Kazekage before scrambling inside.

Gaara was seated at his desk, doing his paperwork…well he _had_ been doing his paperwork, until she arrived.

"I hope you don't mind me barging in like this, man I really hate going through all those guards and questions and secretaries and…"

"How _did_ you get in?"

"Eh?"

"There are no guards accompanying you, so I can only guess you didn't come in the _normal_ way,"

"Haha! Yeah well, that's for me to know and for you to never find out," she laughed.

"And what's the reason for your visit?" he cut in.

"Can't a friend visit another friend? I even brought you food!" she batted her eyelids innocently and shoved the food containers at him.

Gaara remained expressionless.

"ALRIGHT! I came here because I need a favour. _Really_, you're no fun to fool," she mumbled the last part more to herself than to Gaara.

"What would the favour be?"

"Well, I _kind _of need to have a look at your library…"

"For?"

"For books of course!"

"What about the public library?"

"It doesn't have the books I want!" she wailed.

"So you checked it out _already_?"

"Yes! It took me _hours_ to find out that there was _none_ of the books I needed in there! That's why your ramen got cold…"

"What are these books that you are looking for?" he eyed the ramen before him. It _looked_ nice.

Chidori looked at him bug-eyed.

"B…BBooks? Oh right…I'm…I'm …looking for um…"

"For?"

"For…C…COOKBOOKS!" she lamely answered.

"What makes you think I have cookbooks?" Gaara almost laughed.

Almost.

'How I love putting people on the spot,' he smirked as he saw the brunette squirm around.

"I don't know…Don't you?"

"I have no clue," Gaara bluntly stated.

"Eh? Isn't it _your_ library?"

"Yes, but as of _recently_, I haven't had the time to go and read books. _Especially_ about _cooking_, since we have an impending _war_ looming around the corner," he sarcastically replied.

Chidori laughed uneasily.

"Oh well! You know what they say! A hungry ninja a day, doesn't keep the wars away!" she announced.

"Which idiot said that?"

"A famous, intelligent ninja, whose knowledge is as vast as the universe, her quotes are well-used and well thought of. An _incredible_ ninja of her time," Chidori dramatically stated, ignoring Gaara's criticism.

"And _she_ is?"

"Why **me** of course!" Chidori boasted earning a heavy sigh from the redhead before her.

"You can use my library," Gaara said after a moment's thought.

"Really?" Chidori perked up.

"Really," Gaara confirmed.

"YE…"

"On one condition… I need a favour from you,"

"Anything! You name it Gaara-san!" Chidori said on the spur of the moment.

* * *

"ANYTHING BUT THIS!" Chidori whined as she dusted the shelves.

Dust of the ages began to rise, causing her to cough and her eyes to water.

"This isn't fair! How can he ask me to clean the _entire_ library! It isn't humanely possible, I mean look at the _size_ of this place. It's _colossal_!" she wailed.

"Me and my big mouth, 'Anything! You name it Gaara-san…' BAH!" she mimicked herself as she resumed her dusting.

A sneezing fit enveloped her, before she threw her clenched fist in the air.

"DARN YOU GAARA!"

* * *

Gaara was looking at some of his books, and sipping the ramen Chidori had brought along.

"This isn't that bad actua…ATCHOO" he sneezed.

"I must be coming down with something…" he mumbled to himself as he resumed his job.

* * *

"Are you done miss…?" Matusri called out but faltered when she realized she didn't know her name.

"Please, call me Hinata," the raven-headed girl emerged from he stall, nervously fingering her short hair.

Matsuri gazed at her in surprise.

It was a dark blue long-sleeved top with an empire cut, which emphaisised on her chest. It reached her small knees. Under it, she wore black leggings.

Matsuri let out a low whistle, "Perfect Hinata-san!"

Matsuri gave her a thumbs up, and hurried her out of the stall to show Naruto.

Naruto had been leaning on his legs, his hands supporting his chin.

When Hinata walked out his right elbow slipped off his knee.

'She looks stunning…' Naruto thought as his mouth went dry.

"T…Thank you…" she demurely murmured and walked back with a smirking Matsuri behind her.

"Did I just say that out loud?" he asked no one in particular.

* * *

Hinata was changing into yet another outfit with the help of Matsuri. They were soon chatting as though they were old friends.

"Do you like working here?" Hinata asked the young girl.

"I do! I get to meet all kinds of people, listen to all kinds of stories and best of all, it helps me with my anbu work,"

"Really? How so?" Hinata asked, genuinely interested.

"I can improve on my social skills, and I get access to lots of info sometimes. I mean come on; would _you_ expect an anbu to be working as a sales assistant? An easy disguise, with lots of perks. You can try it too if you want. We do have some job openings," Matsuri smiled.

"I don't know…"

"Need more time to think on it?"

"No I…I'll discuss it with Naruto-kun first. Then I'll tell you my decision ok?"

"By all means! Go discuss it with your boyfriend,"

"B…Boyfriend?"

"Aren't you a couple?"

"No…You've got it wrong. We're just friends…"

"No way! I wouldn't believe that even for _one_ second!"

"Why's that?"

"You two _act_ like you're an item! The way he looks at you, and the way you look at him. Sigh…I would say it's meant to be," she nodded.

Hinata blushed.

"Mark my words. Before the years' out, you two _will_ be a couple,"

* * *

Chidori fanned herself as she turned the air-conditioning in the library to a lower degree.

"That's better. Now let's see…" she smiled as she scanned the newly cleaned and shelved books.

She picked a few books, settled herself onto a comfortable settee and began to immerse herself into the world of half-truths, history and myths.

* * *

Naruto was sure his mouth couldn't possibly go any drier.

Hinata came parading in each and every outfit Matsuri had chosen for her.

And they all looked darn good.

He gave a sweeping glance at his wristwatch.

'We've spent quite some time here…Hope she isn't tired,' he thought worriedly.

After all, she hadn't been out into the world for years. He was scared she would tire out easily.

I mean _anyone_ would.

He was right.

This time when she came out, he noticed her slightly slumped shoulders, her tired smile and her slightly drooping eyes.

She was wearing a baggy beige jacket with a v-necked black shirt under it. She wore a pair of black three quarters that were just the right size, and blue sandals to match.

"Alright. I think we're done for today. We'll take all of them," Naruto got up and walked towards Hinata and Matsuri.

"Do you want to wear this home?" he gently asked her.

She smiled, "Yes please,"

He turned to Matsuri and gave her his credit card.

A few moments later, she returned with his credit card, and a promise that she would make sure that all the items were delivered to them by the end of the day.

Naruto shook her hand as he thanked her, "Thanks Matsuri-chan. I knew I could count on you,"

"No problem, I love to be of service," she grinned and turned, but not after pivoting on her heel back to face Naruto, "Just invite me for the wedding," she teased.

Naruto stood gawking after her.

* * *

A few hours later, Chidori stretched herself up and out of the settee.

"It was great fun reading these, but it isn't what I want," she sighed.

"Help me out here! Give me a sign! Wave!" she yelled at the books as though they could respond. She huffed and pushed herself back onto the chair.

Evidently, she must have used too much force, for it toppled over… with her in it.

With a groan she tried to push herself out of the toppled chair. In her hurry she tipped over a shelf of books.

All the books soon came raining down on her head.

"Oh CRICKEY!" she rubbed her sore head, "I just cleaned that up too!" moaning she began to pick up the books one by one, dusting them at the same time.

Her gaze casually swept over the pile of books, gauging how long this would take.

Unconsciously she scanned the titles, nearly missing the most important one of the lot.

She whipped her gaze back as she registered the blatantly obvious book.

"Well, well. Look what we have here," she gingerly picked up a book and dusted it off.

It was a thick, black leather covered book, adorned with intricate designs in silver, and letterings in gold. One would have to be blind to not have seen it.

"The history of the cursed ones," Chidori read off the title, "Looks like all that tender loving care I gave all of you paid off,"

She set the chair upright again and began to read, forgetting about the rest of the books.

* * *

"Ahh! That was some day wasn't it?" Naruto asked the petite girl next to him.

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't be! I got to see you in all those gorgeous clothes. It should be illegal to be that beautiful," he teased, eager to see her blush.

"Y…You're just trying to be nice," she –expectedly- blushed.

"Nah! I'm being honest. You're the one who's being humble!"

Hinata let herself wonder.

'All these clothes. I would have never bought so many. It would have been too expensive,' she thought.

Only then did it hit her.

How was she going to pay for all of it?

Her footsteps faltered, and her eyes widened.

"Hinata?"

"I…I don't have any way I can repay you…I…I promise I'll get a j…job and pay you back!" she gasped.

_What had she been doing? Living on the bounty of the county –the county being Naruto in this case-. She was so selfish, taking his good-willed and generous nature for granted._

"What are you talking about?" Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"The clothes! The rent! Everything! Naruto, I can't live off you! How could I repay you? I don't even do anything! I can't take your generousity for granted," she cried talking a step back.

"What?" Naruto was seriously bewildered.

Hinata ignored his remark, her eyes widening, "I knew I shouldn't have come here! I hadn't even planned before hand! Did I expect money to fall out of the sky? I haven't spared a thought for anyone. I'm troubling everyone! I'm…Mmph" she was cut off as Naruto clamped his hand over her mouth.

"Hinata clam down and listen to me. You just came a few days ago! You don't really expect me to charge you, now do you? And what do you mean you don't do anything? My house looked like a wreck until came along and tided everything up, you even cooked for me. I think that's more than enough," he slowly released her mouth.

"I don't expect any payment for the clothes. Think of it as a home-welcoming gift alright?" Naruto looked into her bottomless eyes.

"Alright,"

"I could loose myself in them," he murmured to himself as he stared at her lavender eyes.

"Sorry?"

"Nothing. Anyway, I don't want to hear anything regarding this matter again ok?"

"Alright," she whispered.

Thinking it was the end of the matter Naruto walked on.

"But I'm still going to get a part-time job!" she firmly continued her statement.

'So she can make a stand when she wants to huh?' Naruto thought.

"Over my dead body you are! What about the fact that you wanted to grow stronger? How are you going to do that with a part-time job? I bought you all that equipment to use! Not collect dust!"

"It will improve my social skills! I can learn to obtain information from an enemy easily if I'm socially apt!" she argued back, "Besides, I never said I wouldn't train! I will! It's only a _part-time_ job Naruto! Give me one good reason why I can't!"

"_One_ good reason? I could give you _ten_! But since…" he looked up to see people staring at the two of them.

"Couples…sigh," an elderly woman commented wistfully.

"We're going to continue this conversation at home. I don't want to create a scene here of all places," he yanked her wrist, angry at himself and at her too.

_Why the hell am I so worked up? I should be supporting her independence, not molly-cuddling her! But I can't help but feel worried about her…_

'Did I do something wrong? I thought I should be standing up for myself! Why did I argue with Naruto-kun of all people?' she was so confused.

When they reached the house, Naruto roughly closed the door and dragged her to her room.

"I'm sorry I over-reacted there, but tell me am I _wrong_ in getting angry?" he locked the door. He crossed his arms and leaned heavily on the door frame.

Hinata gulped.

'He looks like a Greek God even when he's angry,' mentally slapping herself she tried to reason out with him.

"I don't get it…What's wrong with me trying to be independent?" she swallowed, choosing her words carefully.

"It isn't about that... How long do you think we were out shopping?"

"Ano…About 3 hours?"

"Yeah, give and take, and look at you,"

"What's wrong w…with me?" Hinata looked down at herself.

"You're worn out, and don't even think of lying to me. I can see it with my own eyes. Don't you think a part-time job would have _longer_ working hours than this shopping spree? You can't cope in your current state. Stop pushing yourself past your limit. You haven't been out of that darn room for 10 years. Don't you think there would be at least _some_ side effects?"

She didn't retort back.

"You don't have to rush. Listen; just get a bit more fit and _then_ we'll talk about that part-time job alright?" he dropped himself onto the floor and sat cross legged in front of Hinata.

"Alright…" she hated to admit it, but he was right.

"But why were you so angry? You could have just told me immediately, I would…ld have understood," Hinata cut in.

"I was angered over the fact that you thought that I would want money from you. I mean, I did save you from that place, so I'm responsible for your welfare,"

"Naruto…I'm responsible for my own welfare. You should stop worrying too much about me…"

'_When did she drop the honorifics?'_

"I can't. If I didn't, you'd probably be gallivanting to look for a part-time job right about now," he wryly smiled.

"About that…"

"What? Don't tell me you've already found one?" Naruto asked incredulously.

"No, but I did get a job offer. From the store Matsuri was working in…"

"And?" Naruto asked glumly.

"I told her I would talk to you about it first, and then I would later let her know our decison," Hinata continued.

She watched Naruto's facial muscles relax.

"Thank goodness for that!" Naruto sighed.

"I'll go make lunch. Do you want anything in particular?"

"Just make a salad or something. I'm really not that hungry," he flopped himself onto the floor. Hinata walked to the door and unlocked it, after a moment's hesitation, she walked back to Naruto.

"Thank you…For caring," she smiled, kissed him on the cheek and walked towards the kitchen.

Once she left, he fingered the area her lips had touched his skin.

His heart began to do somersaults in his chest.

'Stop it! It isn't like I _like_ her in _that_ way! I like Sakura…Don't I?' he thought sadly.

Hinata took out some of the produce from the refrigerator and cut them up.

She smiled, with the knife she was holding, poised in mid-air.

"Maybe the argument brought us closer?" she questioned herself, "Or further apart…"

"What are you doing? You look like you're trying to kill someone with your knife like that!" Naruto joined a minute later, "Need help?"

She smiled and asked him to cut some vegetables.

'_I like to think it would be the former_,'

* * *

Sometime in the evening, the Kazekage was about to go out for his daily walk, when someone barged into his room.

Chidori.

She vaguely resembled a mad woman, her hair sticking out in bits and pieces, her expression one filled with anxiety, worry and anger.

Leaning on his table he stared at the girl before him.

"You have to call an emergency meeting with the Jinchuuriki!"

"Why? Have they been chopping up their carrots wrongly?" he commented, trying to bring up her blatant lie about searching for cookbooks.

"NO! I found something! Something about the psychics…" she whispered hurriedly, searching his face.

His eyes widened as he made a quick call.

* * *

To be continued… I hope the argument between the couple was a good touch. We all tend to think love is just all the good stuff, but love is like a rollercoaster. The good and the bad, the ups and the downs.

In this fanfic, Hinata will remain the passive, adorable, sweet-natured and lovable girl we all know, but she's going to have a few changes. Namely being more confident, and stopping her stutter.

The argument is supposed to show how Naruto is starting to realize his feelings for her, and how those 10 years in the cell have done damage to Hinata -which Naruto will heal of course-

I am so sorry! I just got my exam results back recently, and it isn't so good, which is why my computer time has been cut down. It was supposed to be out sooner… Thanks for the reviews! I love you guys! I really cried when I saw I had hit 50! You have no idea how much it means to a newbie like me…

P.S If you didn't know, when you sneeze, it's said someone's thinking/talking about you. Negatively or positively. Lol.

Love Granny


	8. History

Disclaimer: I own Naruto (Not).

* * *

Flashback

"_You have to call an emergency meeting with the Jinchuuriki!"_

"_Why? Have they been chopping up their carrots wrongly?" he commented, trying to bring up her blatant lie about searching for cookbooks._

"_NO! I found something! Something about the psychics…" she whispered hurriedly, searching his face._

_His eyes widened as he made a quick call.

* * *

_

_Bring Bring… Bring Bring…_

The sound of the phone ringing echoed through the household.

Naruto jumped out of the kitchen, with dishtowel in hand.

He shoved the cloth onto the coffee table and hastily tried to pick up the source of the noise.

"Uzumaki Naruto speaking…"

"Whoa, Slow down Sakura I can't make out what you're trying to say…"

'_I said Gaara is calling all Junchuuriki for an emergency meeting. RIGHT NOW!'_

With that, he heard a click of the receiver, indicating she had hung up.

"Naruto-kun? Who was that?" Hinata called out from the sink, in the kitchen.

"Sakura. We have to go Hinata. There's an emergency meeting for all the Jinchuuriki members," Naruto called back and pulled his jacket off its hook.

He heard the clutter of plates and saw Hinata hurrying towards him.

She smiled, "Let's go then,"

He bit back a chuckle when he saw a streak of soap on her cheek.

Hinata noticed the grin on his face.

"Naruto-kun? Why are you…?"

He reached out to brush it away, earning himself one of Hinata's infamous blushes.

"Nah! There was just some soap on your cheek, but it's gone now," Naruto laughed as he noticed his friend turn an even brighter red.

Shaking his head with laughter, he grabbed the key off the counter and pulled her out the door.

He twisted the key from the lock and bent down, supporting himself on one knee.

Hinata looked at him, confusion evident on her face.

"Is something the matter Naruto-kun?" Hinata bent down to feel his forehead, "Are you feeling ill? Was it something I made?"

"Why would I feel ill from anything you make? Anyway, get on my back. The sooner we're there, the faster we can find out what's wrong,"

Hinata blushed a deep, dark, scarlet red, when she realized what he was talking about

"E...Eh? B…But I can run! Really!" Hinata protested.

"This is no time to stutter Hinata-chan! Just hurry up," not hearing her feeble protests, he pulled her onto his back.

"Hold on tight!" he yelled above his shoulder as he began to jump from roof to roof.

Hinata immediately put her hands on his shoulder, and buried her head on the small of his back.

'I'm so glad we only ate a salad,' she sighed, and closed her eyes.

She smiled as she breathed in his sent.

'_Cologne, soap and ramen'_ she thought, identifying the smells that blended into one.

She almost died and went to heaven right then and there.

'Having Naruto-kun carry me, while I'm still conscious. If only this moment could last forever…' she clutched him tighter.

They sailed through the sky, with the sun's illuminating rays as their backdrop.

* * *

Within an hour, all the members of the Jinchuurirki had assembled in the Kazekage's office.

"So what's up?" Kiba asked, patting Akamaru's head.

"Chidori found something that may be useful to us," Gaara motioned for the brunette to lead the meeting.

She walked to the centre of the room.

"I was looking for something that could help us search for Orochimaru, but instead, I found something much more interesting," she held up the book she found, "A book that can help us with the search for the psychics,"

Hinata grimaced.

"What happened to the cookbooks?" Gaara sarcastically whispered to her.

Chidori sent him a sheepish smile.

He let her off.

"The history of the cursed ones, by Shinada Yousuke," Ino read off the cover.

"The cursed ones? I thought you said you found something about psychics," Choji munched, "Didn't you?"

"In some cities, the psychics are known as the cursed ones, and the author comes from one of those cities," Chidori replied.

She received a nod from some of the members.

"I suggest everyone get comfortable, because I'm going to read to you the story of how the psychics came to be," she continued.

"The book looks awfully thin for the _history_ of psychics," Sakura commented as she snuggled up to Sasuke.

"Yeah. Shinada Yousuke didn't manage to finish the book," Chidori sighed.

"Why's that?" Kiba asked, as he leaned against Akamaru.

"I'll tell you the reason after I've read you guys the book. It will make a lot more sense if I did,"

The members of the Jinchuuriki began to settle themselves on the floor, chairs, sofas and even the table.

Hinata was still trying to absorb the fact that she was about to learn more about her past, and possibly her future. She sighed heavily but was then yanked down by some strange force.

She landed in someone's arms.

She pushed herself up to stare into bottomless cerulean eyes.

Naruto was seated with his legs outstretched, and Hinata had conveniently landed in the space between them.

"Just sit down," Naruto grinned.

Hinata nodded as she slowly leaned, her back facing him, and blushed heavily.

_Here we go…_

Chidori cleared her voice as she began to read the words off the withered old pages.

"A long time ago…"

* * *

…_the world was filled with violence. So corrupted, yet so innocent._

_Simply put, it was tainted by the sins of humanity._

_Wars littered the world and senseless killings occurred, striking fear in the hearts of even the innocent._

_No one was safe nor spared, and no one was happy._

_After having been in these dark and desolate times for so long, a light appeared._

_A light in the form of three sisters._

_They were pure and untainted._

_To many, they were Godsends, for each of these sisters, had an unusual gift._

_The youngest sister, could offer counsel to the weariest soul, and they would listen to each and every word she said._

_The middle sister could heal even the most fatal wounds with her quick and nimble fingers._

_The eldest sister had the ability to see the bigger picture. With this, she could vaguely predict when, and where a war would occur, and the safest place a person could live. She was never wrong._

_These sisters used their gifts to help victims of war._

_Days and nights past by._

_Wars continued to ravage villages, kingdoms and countries, but the sisters continued to make an effort to help the victims._

_Their hard work was not overlooked._

_One day, the sisters were going about doing their daily chores when a shadowed figure appeared before them._

_In fear, they dropped their chores and huddled together._

"_Do not be afraid young ones. For I come to applaud your efforts. I have noticed how you are using your gifts to bring some happiness into this world so devoid of it, and so, in turn for this hard work, I would like to enhance your abilities, so that you can do even more," a gentle voice drifted to their ears._

"_To you," she pointed at the youngest sister, "I grant the gift of words. May you be able to make anyone listen to what you say, and they will not have the ability to reject you. If you use this gift for evil, your gift will be taken from you and you will die alone and miserable, with no one to listen to you,"_

"_To you," she moved on to the middle sister, "I grant the gift of healing. You may bring even the dead back to life if you wish, with conditions of course. If you decide to use this gift for evil, your gift will be taken from you, and all the wounds you healed will be inflicted on your own body,"_

"_And finally to you," she placed a hand on the eldest sister's head, "I grant the gift of premonition. You can see the past, the present and the future. How you use it, solely depends on you, but if you use it for evil, just like your other sisters, you will pay dearly. Your gift will be taken away from you, and you will crumble away, just like the sands of time, and no one will remember you,"_

_The sisters nodded, indicating that they had understood the consequences. With a swirl of leaves the figure left, leaving the three sisters bewildered._

_After that incident, the sisters resumed their lifestyle with as much gusto as before._

_Eventually they married, and moved away from each other. They never used their gift for evil._

_When they died, their gifts were passed on to a descendant of theirs. _

_Or so the story goes._

_As of today, there still remains three psychics, but now, they are also labeled as cursed ones, for the people of today are not so accepting of such 'talents' as were the people of yesterday._

_In fact, it has become so bad, this mistreatment of psychics, that recently, the psychic who had obtained the power of the youngest sister has gone into hiding and the whereabouts of this person is still unknown._

_The psychic with the power of healing is said to be residing in the Hidden Mist village. She is married, and currently has a son. Any other information about her is unknown._

_The psychic with the power of premonitions is living in the hidden leaf village. She is married to a prominent ninja clan. Her name was Shinada Hikari. This year, she would have turned 30. She has a daughter, who would have been 5 years old this year. _

_You may wonder how I know all this information about this particular psychic. Well then, let me tell you; she is my elder sister._

_As much as I can tell you, I haven't heard from her in years, so this is all I know about her now. I can only tell you about her life when she was still around living with me._

_She was a farmer's daughter, and I, a farmer's son. We grew up together in a quaint and well-kept farm. My sister took care of me, for our mother had passed away a few years after I was born._

_My sister never shared the fact that she had received this gift the moment mother died. However, if I had looked closer, I would have realized that she was not 'normal'. The incident that made me realize this was on a normal day when I was about eight, and she, twelve._

_Both of us went to a nearby village school. It was not excellent, but it was decent._

_Our school is located across a river, and to cross it, there were two bridges. One was a solid bridge, and the other, a bunch of planks tied together with a sturdy rope._

_My sister never let me go on the latter, saying it was dangerous._

_However, one fine rainy day she relented._

_She proposed we go by the other bridge, rather than the solid one._

_I jumped at the chance, even though I found it strange._

_We reached school safely, and when we arrived home, we saw our father rushing out._

_He gave us each a hug, and told us how worried he had been, relating to us the story of how the other bridge had collapsed._

_Two children had died._

_I had shivered at the near-death experience, but my sister didn't even bat an eyelid._

_This was the beginning of my suspicions of her._

_Soon, I began to take notice of the little warnings she gave me._

'_Don't go to the barn! I heard there's a skunk on the loose,'_

_It took me three whole days, and two bushels of tomatoes to get rid of the stench on me._

'_Don't climb the tree today or you're going to fall!'_

_My arm was in a cast for a week._

_This went on for weeks._

_And, after several incidents, I was sure that my conclusion that she was not 'normal' was right. I confronted her one day, when our father was not home._

_Sure enough she admitted that she had been experiencing premonitions._

_I never told my father about it, for in this era, such a 'gift' or 'curse' was not welcomed. In fact, people would begin to think of her as a witch, and burn her alive. Something I had no intention of seeing._

_We grew up. She wanted to go to the city, to become a chef, and I wanted to go to the city to become a writer._

_In the end, we both did move out, but to different cities. She was offered a post in a popular restaurant in the hidden leaf village, and I was offered a job in the Hidden __Sand V__illage._

_We parted ways, and promised to keep in contact._

_We did, but then she married._

_For a while, she was still sending letters, saying how ecstatic she was with her new husband, but she never mentioned his name. Only saying he was a formidable ninja from an equally formidable clan. Then slowly, the amount of letters she wrote started coming in smaller amounts._

_From four letters a week, it dropped to 1 letter in 4 months._

_By that time, I was already married to a beautiful seamstress, and we were expecting our first child._

_The last letter she ever wrote came 6 months after her earlier one. It was the most depressing._

_I have placed it in this biography, as a dim reminder that all good things come to an end._

_For my sister, it came too soon._

_Her happiness, evaporated into thin air, and in the blink of an eye she lost everything she held close to her heart._

_Dear Yousuke,_

_It has been a long time since I've written to you. Six months? Five? Don't worry; I intend to make it up to you by writing as often as I can._

_My dear little brother, how I've missed you so. I wish I could see you face to face and envelope you in a hug, just as I did in the old days. You know that in my last letter I mentioned that my daughter's birthday was coming up right? Well she just turned four! She was so happy when I presented my homemade birthday cake to her! She laughed and gave me a kiss. She's always smiling and always cheerful. The name I christened her with really does suit her. She's quite a bit like you if you ask me._

_She just started laughing again, my dear angel. My sanity is still in contact only because of her. I hope she doesn't receive this so called gift. Maybe if I use my gift for evil, she won't receive it, but in doing so, she will never remember me, and I can't stand for that to happen. I don't care if I die, for my fate has already been set in stone. I have cancer little brother._

_The doctor said it's at stage three, so there is no hope for survival. He said I only have at most about a year or so to live. Ha! I'll show him! I'm going to live till my dear daughter is at least 8 years old! Or my name is not Hikari! I really hope I will be able to. I don't know what will happen to her once I'm gone._

_He's been using me. I know I have never told you this before, so please don't be mad at me. He's using my gift to say when the next war will be, how to beat an opponent, and etc. Whenever I refuse he threatens to hurt her; my daughter. I am very sure that once I'm gone, he will use her. I know she's going to inherit the gift, but I never told him that. I only said that there is a small possibility of her getting the gift. He isn't pinning his hopes on her. I'm glad for that. _

_The tension in this house is unbearable. I wish to escape, but how can I do so from a ninja? Me, a farmer's daughter? I have no chance of escaping from here. I've become a prisoner in my own house. He has stopped letting me go out of the house, only on the rare occasion when he's in a good mood. Poor darling. She's looking at me crying and she just offered me a tissue. Get this, she just said 'Mummy, if you cry you're wasting water! Lot's of people in the world die of deeehyyydration, so you shouldn't cry and waste water,' and she said it with a serious face! I would love to know where she got that logic from!_

_I would love to make this letter longer, but I fear my husband will see me. If he does, you can guarantee that I can't write anymore. My angel doesn't know about you. I can't tell her, I'm scared she might slip and tell her father. I can't take my chances. I've written everything about my life inside a diary, and I've placed under a loose plank in the kitchen. It's in that metal tin you gave me years ago. _

_With this I end my letter. In the event that I die, I want you to take care of my daughter; never will I leave her alone with him. I love you. Don't forget me little brother, and take care of your family with all the love in your heart._

_P.S.: I'm sorry if my handwriting is a bit illegible, but my right hand is in a cast. One of the elders pushed me down the stairs. No big deal! It will heal in a week or so! Anyway, he did that the week before, so it's nothing new. These elders are really getting on my nerve, I mean can't they go find someone else to abuse. They used me for their ninja training to practice on. My husband doesn't do anything like that; in fact, I don't think he knows about what they're doing. Any clue as to why?_

_P.S.P.S: I was talking to this sensei earlier today. She seems like a nice person. I asked her to help my little sunshine in case you can't come to collect her._

_Your beloved elder sister,_

_Hikari

* * *

_

Chidori sighed as she flipped through the remaining pages.

"Everything else is just biographies of each psychic, Yousuke-san stopped at Shinada Hikari,"

The room was filled with silence.

"Monsters…How could they treat her like that?" Sakura punched the nearest wall, earning herself a dent, as the plaster crumbled to dust.

She uneasily laughed as she sent a glance at the Kazekage.

"Bloody idiots!" Tenten accidentally threw her kunai at Lee.

"TENTEN!"

"Oops! Sorry!"

Hinata just stared. Sentences repeated through her mind.

_**No hope**__ for survival…_

_I'm going to __**live till my dear daughter is at least 8 **__years old!_

_The tension in this house is __**unbearable**__…_

_I wish to __**escape**__…_

_I've become a __**prisoner **__**in my own house**__…_

_One of the elders __**pushed me down the stairs**_

_These elders are really getting on my nerve, I mean can't they go find someone else to __**abuse**_

_They __**used me for their ninja training to practice on**_

Tears just rolled down her eyes.

'_Mother…'_

"Hinata-chan?" Naruto was worried when he felt her turn rigid in his arms.

She mechanically turned her head, to face him.

Her eyes wide with fear, sadness and pain.

He enveloped his hands around her and murmured soothing words to her.

In the midst of the sadness, Gaara looked at the brunette.

She was staring at Hinata.

"Why aren't _you_ crying?" he asked.

"I cried my fill when I read the book. Is it alright if I took it home to read?" she peeled her gaze off the raven headed-girl.

"Be my guest, but we still have to discuss the contents of the book,"

After a while, everyone had finally calmed down.

Chidori sighed and placed the book on Gaara's table. She leaned on it heavily staring at the floor.

"At least we know something about the psychics now," Sakura mumbled, as she moved closer to Sasuke.

He didn't seem to take notice.

"I've been trying to trace the psychic that inherited the youngest sister's ability, and I found something interesting," Chidori piped up as she flipped through the pages.

Her index finger came to rest on one of the descendants recorded.

She passed the book to the nearest person; Sakura, who flipped through the pages.

"They all have purple hair…" Sakura's eyes widened, as she passed the book to Sasuke.

"It's true," he confirmed as he passed the book to Tenten.

Soon, the book began passing around the whole room, as Chidori continued.

"It seems likewise for the rest of the psychics as well. When they pass down the ability, they pass down a certain attribute of theirs," Chidori concluded.

"For the psychics, who inherited the ability of healing, they all have golden eyes," Ino nodded a she counterchecked her theory with the coloured pictures of each psychic.

The book finally landed on Hinata's lap.

She opened the book, and turned to the pages.

"What about the psychics who inherited the ability of seeing premonitions? What similarities do they share?" Naruto asked, as he peered at the book over Hinata's shoulder.

"I didn't get that far yet," Chidori shrugged.

"T…They're all females…" Hinata flipped the pages over and over again.

All gazes turned to her.

"What about that person? Isn't that a guy?" Naruto pointed at the page she had flipped to.

"Naruto-kun…it's a girl…" Hinata smiled at him.

Everyone else in the room sweat-dropped, as Naruto awkwardly rubbed his head.

"Uhahaha. Um…I guess it's too late to say oops?"

Hinata giggled at him, as she turned the page to the next, her mother's picture stood out like a sore thumb.

She gently ran her fingers over the pages, barely listening to the conversation that was going on.

"So we know that the psychic with the power of conviction, has purple hair…" Kiba thought out loud.

"…the psychic with the power of healing has golden eyes…" Shino continued.

"…and the psychic with the power of premonitions is a girl," Neji concluded, eyeing Hinata with disdain.

"Sounds like we're on a wild goose chase," Kankurour scowled.

"Actually, no. If we were to trace back each of the psychics, most probably, the psychic of coniviction is most probably at the Tea Country, the psychic of healing is at the Hidden Mist Village, and the psychic of premonitions is at the Hidden Leaf Village," Chidori nodded to herself.

"This is going to be so troublesome…" Shikamaru sighed, earning him a smack from Temari.

Chidori smiled as she rolled out a big map out onto the floor, in the middle of the area the Junchuuriki had settled in.

"The closest to us at the moment would be the Hidden Leaf Village," she pointed with a marker.

"So we should look for the psychic of premonitions first?" Choji murmured, looking up from his bag of chips, to look at the book that was being passed on again.

"Hai. With the Kazekage's permission, we could send a small group out to scour the area. No doubt, with Orochimaru controlling Konoha, it may be a bit difficult. So we should not keep our hopes up," Chidori looked at Gaara for confirmation.

Gaara stared at Chidori for a few seconds.

"I'll confirm the groupings with you tomorrow, but first, I want a few of you to scout out the Tea Country," he plucked the marker out of Chidori's hand and circled it on the map.

"Teac Country? Why the Tea Country?" Naruto looked slightly confused.

"I want to know the situation there. I want a group to be stationed there permanently, so that we can always know if there's a change in Orochimaru's plans, if he knows about a psychic being there, " Gaara explained as he dropped the marker onto the map.

"I'll draw out the plans. Tomorrow, I want all of the Jinchuuriki to be here at 7am sharp. Be ready to move out," Gaara continued as he dusted his hands against each other.

"I repeat, 7am sharp," he eyed Naruto.

"Alright! I get it! 7am sharp! We'll be there…I mean here!" he sighed, and pulled Hinata up.

"Coming Chidori-chan?" Hinata called over her shoulder, as Naruto pulled her towards the door.

"Coming!" she grabbed the book from Gaara's hands.

"WAIT! You never told us why the book wasn't finished," Sakura screamed after the girl.

Her footsteps noticebly faltered. Several pairs of eyes looked at her.

"He and his whole family were murdered. No one survived. I researched a bit, and found some records. It was obviously trained and experienced ninjas. There were no traces of fingerprints, no evidence left behind,"

"Why? Why kill a normal family?" Ino was shocked.

"Ahh...That's where you're wrong. Shinada Yousuke was writing a book based on psychics. My guess is that, they were after this book. Luckily for us, Yousuke-san seemed to know something was wrong, and sent the book to his publisher," she finished.

"So I guess we have to be alert at all times..." Kiba mused.

Chidori nodded.

"See you tomorrow!" she grinned and ran off.

"You know, she's pretty smart for being the Mizukage's advisor," Temari commented as the final members filled out of the room.

Gaara didn't comment.

* * *

The patter of footsteps echoed down the street.

The person stopped in front of an alleyway.

"So what happened?" a dark, cloaked figure emerged.

"Tell Orochimaru-sama that we have a few groups moving out tomorrow. I'll tell him the members when I get their names," someone whispered to it, and then scanned the area, before walking off.

As quickly as the figure had come, he blended back into the darkness yet again.

* * *

Chidori, Hinata and Naruto reached the small house.

They had a quick dinner, courtesy of Hinata, and watched some television.

Without their knowledge, the clock struck 11pm.

"Mah, mah! Look at the time! I'm going to bed you guys…See you tomorrow!" Naruto stretched and yawned, before heading to his room.

Hinata emitted a yawn herself. She was exhausted from shopping and the meeting.

"I think I'll go to bed myself Chidori-chan…Good n…" Hinata sighed, but was cut off by the brunette's shocking statement.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?"

Hinata blinked.

"T…Tell anyone? What exactly did I not tell anyone?" Hinata smiled, alarms were going off in her head.

'_She couldn't possibly know…'_

"That you're a psychic," Chidori stared at her.

'_Yet again, maybe she could…' _

The gig was up.

* * *

TADA! Another cliffhanger! Oooh. I love making chapters end like this! YAYA! Maybe I should do this more often. Anyway, I made this one page longer than usual, as a tribute to people who answered back my question in my review! You know who you are! I started a new fanfic by the way. It's called, 'Masquerade'. Me and my friend are like so in LOVE with the plot. Lol.

Please Review!


	9. Revelations

Disclaimer: Thou shall not own Naruto.

* * *

_Flashback:_

"_I think I'll go to bed myself Chidori-chan…Good n…" Hinata sighed, but was cut off by the brunette's shocking statement._

"_Why didn't you tell anyone?"_

_Hinata blinked._

"_T…Tell anyone? What exactly did I not tell anyone?" Hinata smiled, alarms were going off in her head._

'_She couldn't possibly know…'_

"_That you're a psychic," Chidori stared at her._

'_Yet again, maybe she could…' _

_The gig was up.

* * *

_

"Wh…What?"

'_Oh…How does she know that?'_

"It's no use denying it Hinata-san. I already know you're a psychic. In fact, I know you're Shinada Hikari's; or should I say _Hyuuga_ Hikari's only child,"

Hinata gaped at the brunette.

'_This isn't happening…'_

Silence filled the hallway.

"H…How di..did yo…u…?" Hinata finally stuttered out.

Chidori gently yanked her towards the door.

She grabbed the house keys off the kitchen counter.

"I don't want this conversation to be overheard," she nudged her head in the direction of Naruto's room.

Hinata nodded, and they both walked out of the house.

* * *

Naruto opened his bedroom door.

"I really need some instant ramen," he mumbled to himself.

He exited, just in time to hear the front door close.

Glancing around, he realized that nobody was at home.

To check if he was right, he knocked and peeked into both Hinata's and Chidori's room.

Both were vacant.

Naruto shrugged, and was about to resume his food raid, until he caught sight of the coats still hanging off their hooks.

"For goodness sakes. Have they no idea they can catch a cold without their jackets?" he muttered, and plucked Hinata's beige hooded jacket, and Chidori's black windbreaker off the hooks.

"Looks like the ramen will have to wait,"

He stepped out of the house, grabbed the extra set of keys from the kitchen counter, and locked the door.

A few minutes later, he sheepishly opened it again to retrieve his own orange and black jacket.

* * *

"There's a children's playground around the corner. It's pretty cozy, and considering the time, no one should be around," Chidori smiled as she walked next to Hinata.

Hinata nodded.

Soon enough, they reached a large open space.

There were slides, swings, sandpits…you name it.

A smile graced Hinata's lips as she glanced around, reminiscing about her days as a child.

"Kind of reminds you of your own childhood days, doesn't it?" Chidori ran her fingers along a slide, before settling herself into one of the swings.

"Care to join me?"

Hinata slid herself into the swing next to the brown-haired woman.

Chidori gently began to swing to-and-fro, then rustled through her pockets before producing a scrunched up piece of paper.

"The Kazekage would probably kill me for this, but I tore the page of your biography out of the book, I didn't want to risk anyone chancing upon it. I pretty much lied to everyone about your mother being the last psychic. I really hope no one realizes that a page is missing from that book,"

She stretched the paper out to Hinata.

Hinata unraveled the paper, and glanced at the contents.

"Even though there isn't any picture of you, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that Shinada Yousuke was talking about you. There aren't exactly many Hyuuga clans out there, and even if there were, not many of them would have the name Hyuuga Hinata,"

Hinata crushed the paper into a ball, and stuffed it into her pocket.

"Your probably wondering why I didn't rat on you at the meeting just now. I know it may _sound_ absurd, but I think that there may be a spy in our midst," Chidori shook her head.

"I sort of thought so…" Hinata nodded

"Eh?" Chidori stopped swinging herself, and sharply turned to face the raven headed girl.

"Well, it seemed rather too coincidental that the Hidden Mist Village was attacked only a few days before the ninja troops were to arrive in this village. Orochimaru must have known that there was going to be a transfer of troops from the Hidden Mist Village, to aid the Kazekage. If he attacked when least expected, the village would be hit really hard," Hinata paused before continuing.

"He knew that if he attacked then, the Mizukage would have to keep more troops back to ensure that the village is safe. Although I doubt he expected the Mizukage to send you," Hinata smiled at the latter.

"Ha! If he knew_ I_ was coming, he would have sent more _elite_ ninjas for the invasion here. I'm glad I arrived in time to kick their sorry asses," Chidori snorted.

The statement sent both girls into laughter.

"Anyway, the only people who would have known about the plan to send the backup troops would be the Jinchuuriki members, the Kazekage, the Mizukage, the advisors, and the troops themselves. However, the latter would only have known a few days ahead. Not enough time for them to relay the message to the enemies to get the plan in motion," Chidori continued.

"This would cancel out the troops. We can safely say that you aren't a spy, due to; well… you did kick those sound Nin's butts. And the Kazekage and Mizukage can't possibly be, as there were attacks on them or on their villages as well," Hinata nodded.

"You'll become a great ninja Hinata-san. You've got great analytical skills. I doubt anyone would have even suspected that a spy is among them," Chidori complimented.

Blushing, she murmured her thanks.

"That leaves us with only the Jinchuuriki members, and Suna advisors,"

Both girls sighed.

"Anyway, getting back to the main point, unless we can somehow weed out who the spy is, we should just keep this secret between the two of us," Chidori rocked the swing a bit harder.

Hinata bit her lip.

"Does Neji-san know about your condition?"

Hinata remained silent.

"I guess I'll take that as a yes. Darn, that puts a dent in my plan. Ah well, who gives a hoot about him,"

"Plan?"

"Uhuh. Before that, I would like to ask for you permission to train you," Chidori glanced at her hopefully.

"But…Naruto said he was going t…" Hinata looked up.

"Yes. He can train you in the ninja basics, but what I want to train you on is more of harnessing your psychic powers,"

"Eh?"

"You have the gift of seeing the past and of the future, right? Imagine if you were to use that in a fight! You'd easily be able to tell someone's favourite jutsus, his weak points... Everything!"

Hinata contemplated for a while before asking, "How do you know how to train a psychic?"

With a sigh, she planted her feet on the ground.

"I sort of trained the psychic from the Hidden Mist village,"

"Y…YOU DID?" Hinata's eyes widened.

"Uhum,"

"If you don't mind me asking...What was he to you?"

A comfortable silence enveloped the two.

"He...He was my younger brother," she whispered.

For a moment, Hinata couldn't say a word.

"Wh...What happened to him?"

Hinata could only stare at the sad smile the younger girl produced.

"He died…" she gazed at the stars above wistfully.

"H...How?"

"Hmm...To tell you that, I need to tell you a bit about myself… Ah well, where should I start? I guess I did have a normal childhood. I was just like any girl next door. After I was born, my parents found it hard to conceive another child. About that time, one of their best friends died. She was a single mother and had a son. Now we know she was a psychic. Anyway, they decided to adopt him, and that's how I got a younger brother," she smiled.

"We were happy for awhile. Really happy, but then tragedy struck," she grimaced.

"My father was a great ninja. Really brave, and strong. He worked in the shinobi frontlines; a really dangerous job. My mom worked at the local academy for ninja. She was a great teacher. She used to make these corny jokes all the time. Me and my brother; we'd always just roll our eyes whenever she did," Chidori shakily laughed.

"Then, when I turned ten, my father died. He just left for a B rank mission, and he never returned. My mother never recovered from his death, she really loved him. She pretty much gave up on life, family, and even herself. A few months later, she died from the grief,"

Hinata patted the girl's shoulder, to comfort her.

Chidori attempted a smile, and continued her story.

"I was pretty much left to fend for myself and my younger brother. A ten year old, taking care of a seven year old. It felt like I was ten going on twenty, and that wasn't the worst part…My brother was suffering from a severe case of progeria,"

"It's that rare disease where one ages at ten times the normal rate, right?"

"Yeah. Even now, there still isn't a cure for it. Back then, all the best medic-nin tried to cure him, but it just wasn't possible. Anyway, the medicine that was given to him to try to slow down the disease was really expensive. We scrimped by on our savings, and on the allowance given to us by the Mizukage. I worked really hard in school, because I thought that I would save more money by finishing my education quickly. I rapidly climbed the ranks, shocking both my friends and teachers alike," Chidori smiled lightly.

"By the age of 15, I became an anbu member; on the verge of being promoted to anbu captain. I thought that things were finally beginning to look up in life, but then, that very year, a demon visited us," Chidori sucked in her breath.

"A...A demon?" Hinata asked.

"Orochimaru," Chidori hissed.

"That vile snake disguised himself as a harmless old guy. Even the Mizukage didn't suspect a thing, so he let our relationship bloom. At the time, other than the Mizukage, myself and Kaede -my brother- nobody knew that he was a psychic. But somehow...when I wasn't at home Orochimaru wormed it out of him. He kidnapped Kaede when I was away on a mission. We didn't find Kaede until one year later...He...That...That SNAKE! He left him on my front steps to die. The progeria had worsened since he hadn't taken any medicine...so he was beyond help. A few days after he came home...he died," Chidori sobbed as she buried her face into her hands.

"I watched my brother die, and all I could do was stand by and watch..." she whispered as more tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Listen. If it's too hard to relive all of this…" Hinata started.

"I'm fine," Chidori brushed her tears away, and cleared her throat.

"I could remember at that time, I was driven to a state of disbelief and insanity. I refused to go for any missions, refused to leave my brother's grave. Eventually, the Mizukage barred me from the burial site. So then, I would stay at home, and stare at his photos and cry,"

She heaved a sigh.

"I was pretty much an emotional wreck for weeks. I blamed myself. Thought that if I hadn't trusted that viper, I could have prevented this. I even tried committing suicide, but obviously it didn't work as you can see I'm still alive and kicking,"

"So…What happened after that?"

"The Mizukage pretty much had, had _enough_ of my tantrums. One day, he just came out of the blue, dragged me out of my house and into his office…"

* * *

"_What are you doing with your life? What happened to the vibrant ninja who climbed the ranks so fast, you left the rest of us gaping in awe and wonder? Hmm?" the Mizukage pulled her into his office, and pushed her on the chair._

"_That ninja died along with her brother," Chidori blatantly answered._

"_If all ninja were like you, I would have to decline 3/4's of the job requests that come to my office. What makes you think that you're the only one who has lost someone precious in your life?" he leaned on his heavy oak table and glared at the girl._

"_You don't understand! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! If I hadn't trusted Orochimaru, he wouldn't have been kidnapped! We don't even know what Orochimaru did to him! What mental trauma he must have faced. He was only a kid...He might have lived longer, might have been alive now. Running, playing, smiling…" Chidori sobbed._

_With a sigh, he reached out and patted the girl, "I'm to blame as much as you are then. I should have seen through his facade, should have known that it was Orochimaru..."_

_Chidori looked up at him._

"No. I was his sister! I was responsible for him... but my naivete cost him his life..._"_

_"It doesn't matter who is to blame Chidori. What matters is how we pick up the pieces,"_

_She shook her head._

"_What I'm saying is, fate has its own way of choosing the best path for us. Yes, we do have freedom of choice, but even when we do make the wrong choices, it tries it's best to correct it. He had progeria Chidori. He couldn't have lived long. Maybe it was fate's way of saying we had interferred with the cycle of life for too long,"_

_Chidori didn't say a word._

"_If we spend our time asking 'what if,' all the time, we'd just be wasting our lives. It was his time to go. Both you and I know it,"_

"_His time was too soon. He was only twelve. So young. He wasn't ready to go," her eyes filled with tears._

"_No. Your brother accepted his fate long before you did. He was ready to go. You just weren't -and still aren't- ready to let __**him**__ go," the Mizukage knelt before her._

"_What do you mean…he accepted his fate?"_

"_While you were away on missions, your brother used to come and have talks with me. He was afraid of many things, and he wanted to confide in someone. He was afraid of death, afraid of his disease, afraid of his gift, but above all, he was most afraid that you would blame yourself for his death. Smart kid he was. He asked me to tell you not to worry, and that he would be sad if you withered away all because of him. He said that you had a bright future ahead of you, and I agree. He wants you to keep living on, especially for him,"_

_"I can't do it! I just can't move on! He's gone... and it's all my fault..."_

_"He isn't gone..."_

_Chidori just kept shaking her head._

_The mizukage knelt down, and looked eye-to-eye with Chidori, "As long you live, and as long as I live, a part of Kaede will always live on. For now, if you can't live for your sake, live for Kaede's sake. So that his memories will be around forever..."_

_Chidori nodded and wiped away the stray tears on her cheeks._

"_I…I guess you're right. For him. I'll do it for him," she enveloped the Mizukage in a hug._

"_Thank you," she muttered._

"_You're welcome dear. Anytime you need someone to listen to you I am right here," he hugged her back._

_Chidori smiled, and perkily sat up._

* * *

A chilly breeze picked up.

Rubbing her hands for warmth, Chidori's teeth chattered.

"We forgot to bring our coats!" Hinata sighed.

Her own flimsy black shirt, didn't offer much protection against Mother Nature.

As if on cue, they heard a shout.

"Hinata! Chidori! Where the heck did those two go?" a blonde-haired person walked around aimlessly, scratching his head.

In his arms, he held their coats.

"Naruto-kun! Over here!" Hinata waved her hand, trying to get his attention.

He immediately noticed, and hurried over.

"Both of you left your coats behind. I was looking for you all over the place! Didn't really expect to find you in a playground. You two still haven't grown out of playing in sandpits," Naruto teased.

"We're just young at heart. Moreover, what _is_ wrong with sandpits? Don't tell me you never played in them before?" Chidori piped up, when she noticed Hinata blush.

"You mean you _really_ were playing in them? I meant it as a joke!"

"For goodness sakes. Of course not. I can't say he same for you though. Who knows what you did before me and Hinata-chan came and lived with you?" she haughtily spoke.

"Oh well. Since you think I'm such a kid, maybe I should just throw your windbreaker into that convenient little pond over there…" he trailed off.

"NO! Oh, fine. You're not a kid. Happy?" she mumbled unhappily as she grabbed the coat from him.

"You're just mentally immature! And thanks!" she grinned and ran off.

Naruto had been handing over Hinata's coat when he heard the comment.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY? I'll show you IMMATURE, YOU BRAT! GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!" he swung her coat over her shoulders, grabbed her arm and pulled her along as he ran after the laughing brunette.

Hinata blushed for the umpteenth time.

'_And here we go again,'_ she inwardly sighed as they ran down the street.

* * *

"We're back. Finally!" Naruto glared at Chidori, who was currently rubbing the bump on her head.

"Oh my…It's 1 am already?" Hinata sighed.

"We have to be at the Kazekage's office in less than six hours. Oh that just sucks…" Chidori moaned.

"Oh yeah…I totally forgot about that!" Naruto smacked his head, "Off to sleep both of you,"

"Hai, hai father!" Chidori yawned and made her way to her room.

"Good night you two!" she called out from her room.

"Good night!" they simultaneously answered.

"One minute she's calling me a kid, and the next she's calling me a father. I have no idea what goes on in that brain of hers," he muttered.

"At least the both of you are getting along,"

"That's one way of putting it," he groaned.

"Alright then. Goodnight," he swooped down and gave Hinata a quick peck on the cheek.

He whistled off into his room, leaving a stunned Hinata behind.

When she heard the sound of his door closing, she gave a sigh of contentment as she fingered the cheek he had kissed her.

"Finally…He made a move on you!" she heard a squeal, bringing Hinata out of her trance like state.

Blinking, she looked up to see Chidori grinning like an idiot at her.

She had changed into a spaghetti striped, light blue top, with a high waist cut, leaving the that clustered together just below her chest. She wore loosely fitted white pants to complete the outfit and was gently toweling her wet hair.

Wait a minute…

…Wet hair?

"You had a shower?" Hinata blinked.

"Yeah! How long were you standing out here? I took about ten minutes to shower at the minimum," Chidori's eyes twinkled, "So what did he do to make you so stunned? Hmm?" Chidori nudged her.

"What…He…He kissed me…" she smiled.

Chidori's eyes widened.

"…On the cheek," Hinata finished, shutting Chidori's open mouth with a snap.

"Oh well. That's a good step. You guys would make a good couple. I can tell," Chidori smiled as she let the towel fall to her shoulders.

"I don't think it will ever happen," she hugged the girl in front of her, "Besides that, I wanted to thank you…"

"For what?" Chidori asked, bewildered.

"For being a good friend, and not ratting on me," Hinata murmured.

"I'm sure you have your own reasons for not telling the other Jinchuuriki members. You haven't told me why yet, but it isn't any of my business to tell any of your secrets. Just to let you know, your secret is safe with me,"

"Neither will I tell anyone your little secret either," Hinata smiled at the younger girl.

"You promise?" Chidori grinned, as she held out her pinky finger.

"I promise!" Hinata giggled, she wrapped her own pinky around Chidori's and shook.

* * *

Naruto closed the door behind him, letting his nonchalant façade slip away.

'What was I thinking? Kissing her like that? Am I mad? I must be out of my mind!' he cursed himself, and knocked his head hard on the door.

"Bad idea…" he dizzily slumped to the ground as he waited for his vision to come back into focus.

Oh for goodness sakes, whom was he trying to kid…

He liked her.

Maybe even more than he liked Sakura-cha…

'HOLD THAT THOUGHT! WHAT ARE YOU THINKING NARUTO?' he shot up, grasping his head in his hands.

"Sakura-chan is my first true love. Ok…So it MAY have been a one-sided affair, but it still is love. I mean…before I even knew Hinata, I loved Sakura. Her wit, her beauty, her…"

Her what?

"OH…MY…GOSH…Is that all I like about her? THINK you DUMBO! What else?"

He tapped his head, "Definitely not her brute strength…not her bitchy attitude…Maybe I'm just tired…When I wake up tomorrow, I can think of this again,"

With a sigh, he heaved himself onto his bed, not bothering to change his clothes. He fell into a deep sleep, but even in his dreams, there seemed to be one girl who overrode all the terrible nightmares that constantly disrupted his sleep.

The one girl his mind seemed to be in denial about loving, but his subconscious didn't lack any problems there.

"Hinata…" he murmured.

* * *

Alright! Here goes another chapter. I would really like to thank all my reviewers! My first story and it was such a big hit-ok, in my eyes it was. I've reached the big 70, and I'm absolutely, positively ecstatic! So now, I would also like to leave the fate of this story in your hands. Would you like a sequel, or not? The ending won't come for a while though, I'm not sure how long I want to make this story, so please tell me!


	10. Commitments

Hey people! I'm back, and I would like to make a few announcements.

Firstly, my national exams are finally over! So I can update more frequently.

Secondly, I will NOT be making a sequel to this fanfic, simply because I don't need to. This story is sufficient enough; instead I will be having more HxN fanfics! I already typed up half of a one-shot on them so keep a look out!

Lastly, please re-read some chapters like chapter 9. This is because I changed a lot of stuff, so don't get confused! Now… On to the STORY!

If you don't know where the countries in 'Naruto' are located, please go to google and type in leafninja. After which, click on world map...

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but that can be changed if the author decided to sign a few documents. MWAHAHAHAHA…

* * *

_Flashback:_

"_Sakura-chan is my first true love. Ok…So it MAY have been a one-sided affair, but it still is love. I mean…before I even knew Hinata, I loved Sakura. Her wit, her beauty, her…"_

_Her what?_

"_OH…MY…GOSH…Is that all I like about her? THINK you DUMBO! What else?"_

_He tapped his head, "Definitely not her brute strength…not her bitchy attitude…Maybe I'm just tired…When I wake up tomorrow, I can think of this again,"_

_With a sigh, he heaved himself onto his bed, not bothering to change his clothes. He fell into a deep sleep, but even in his dreams, there seemed to be one girl who overrode all the terrible nightmares that constantly disrupted his sleep._

_The one girl his mind seemed to be in denial about loving, but his subconscious didn't lack any problems there._

"_Hinata…" he murmured._

* * *

Sunlight spilled out from the window above Chidori's bed. Slowly, her eyes opened. She stayed motionless for awhile, before clasping her eyes with her hands.

"I had to do it…I had to…Otherwise she wouldn't have been safe," Chidori whispered to herself reassuringly.

She slowly released her hands.

Heaving a sigh, she got up and headed to the common bathroom.

* * *

At 5.30am sharp, Naruto, Hinata and Chidori were eating their breakfast. A simple fare of toast and jam.

"I'm surprised you're actually early N…Naruto-kun," Hinata commented as she took a bite of her toast.

"I'm always punctual when it comes to missions," he scoffed, wolfing down his toast with vigor.

"Sure you are…" Chidori rolled her eyes as she smothered her piece of toast with blackcurrant jam.

She earned herself a glare from the blonde shinobi.

"Anyway, if we really want to be on time, I suggest we leave at 6.30," Chidori smiled as she got up from the table, her wet hair swayed gently to fall on her shoulders.

She washed her plate in the sink and went to her room to change.

Naruto munched on his toast as he glanced at Hinata, "So when would you like to start your training?"

Hinata blinked at him.

"Ninjutsu, taijutsu…you know…ninja training?" he smiled.

"Oh…OH!" she smiled brightly, "Anytime!"

"Hmm…How far are you in terms of jutsus?"

"Well, I can use substitution jutsu, camouflage jutsus and I'm quite advanced in terms of genjutsu," Hinata mentally ticked off.

"Why's that?"

"Kurenai-sensai seemed quite adamant in passing down the genjutsu techniques she knew. So she trained me quite hard in that area, until she…" Hinata trailed off as sadness engulfed her.

For awhile, neither of the two said anything.

"I'm sure she must have been a great sensai…"

"She was…A…Anyway…um…I…that's all I know in regards to jutsus," Hinata sighed.

"That's not a bad start. When we get back, I'll start teaching you how to jump over walls and stuff, but I'm guessing you'll master them in a synch if you are good at genjutsu," he laughed before taking his and Hinata's empty plates to wash.

"Why don't you take a shower while I clean up here?"

Hinata smiled, and slowly nodded.

She went to her room, with the intention of grabbing an outfit and towel, but then she caught sight of the unopened shopping bags.

'I'm definitely going to need help…' she groaned as she went to knock on Chidori's door.

"Um, Chidori?" Hinata called out.

"Hmm?"

"I need your help with something…" a slight blush crossed her pale cheeks.

Naruto's emerged from the kitchen, having cleaned up the place; for once in his life.

At the same time, Chidori's door opened, to reveal her wearing a fitting, turquoise blue tank top, and light grey, bloomer, mid-thigh shorts. She wore stripped knee-length socks that were of the same grey and turquoise colours.

Black flats adorned her dainty feet, and she had tied her forehead protector on her wrist.

Her hands, which were protected by black fingerless gloves, were tying her long hair into two loose braids.

Hinata spoke softly to the brunette who nodded and followed Hinata to her room.

Hinata almost closed the door behind her, but then, her head peeped out once again, "I think you should use the bathroom first Naruto-kun!"

He blinked as the door closed shut.

* * *

"You want me to help you with your wardrobe?" Chidori smiled.

"Well…When Naruto took me shopping, we bought _a lot_ of clothes…but…I'm kind of unsure as to what clothing is suitable for what occasion…" Hinata nervously laughed, as she closed the door to her room.

"In that case, we could do that after the meeting!" Chidori piped up.

"Yes, well…Other than two kimonos, and the outfit I wore yesterday, everything else is in the bags..." she pocked her index fingers together.

"OH! Well…We have to leave at 6.30, so we have 45 minutes to sort out at least _some_ of your clothing," Chidori eyed the numerous plastic bags that had been stacked neatly in a corner of the room.

"You weren't exaggerating when you said you bought a lot of clothes…" Chidori smiled when she saw Hinata blush.

"…But since you came to this country with nothing, it would seem to be only natural for you to buy this many clothes,"

"How did you know I came to this country with nothing?" Hinata asked, slightly perplexed.

"Well…If you had brought something along with you, and if it was of any importance, it would only seem natural to take display it in your room, but there doesn't seem to be anything like that around," Chidori concluded.

Hinata shifted uneasily.

"But that's good,"

Hinata looked up, "How can that be good?"

"You can have a fresh start…Now, there's nothing around to remind you of whatever experiences you might have had in the past,"

"You're wrong…"

Chidori's eyebrows shot up, "In what way?"

Hinata slowly walked to the full length mirror that was in her room, "Each time I look in the mirror, I'm reminded of my past…I can't help but think how weak, useless and helpless I was…and I still am…"

Chidori walked up behind her, a pile of clothes in her hand.

"Well, I see somebody who's working to be nothing like she was in the past. You have us to help you through this Hinata-san! Don't forget that!" Chidori smiled before handing the pile over to Hinata.

Then she glanced at the other untouched bags and began to laugh evilly, rubbing her hands together with great gusto, "Now where were we?"

* * *

Naruto combed his hair in front of the mirror. He looked at his reflection and sighed. He then shook his unruly hair and repeated the actions to relieve himself of the boredom he felt.

"What the heck are the two of them doing in there?" he growled and glanced at the clock.

6.15.

He paced in the living room and then finally settled himself onto the couch.

He glanced around, coming to terms with the silence that engulfed him.

How had he lived alone for all these years? How could he have possibly survived?

He hated to admit it, but after Hinata and Chidori had taken up residence in his apartment, life seemed to be more joyful…or at least more exciting.

Chidori was just like the younger sister he never had. Arguing, teasing…

Hinata on the other hand…what could he say about her? He enjoyed her company, he loved talking to her…he liked everything about her! From her physique to her personality…

Even though they had only been around for a couple of days, he couldn't imagine resuming the solitary life he used to lead before their arrival.

In fact…

His train of thoughts were disrupted when he heard giggles coming from Hinata's room.

A vein popped from his head, "That does it!"

He went to the kitchen to grab a glass, and stuck it to the door, placing his ear at the other end.

And for once in his life, he waited patiently.

* * *

"And then I accidentally reached for the salt instead of the baking powder! After the cake was done baking; I nearly broke my head trying to figure out why it was so _flat_…until I tasted it myself of course! My mother joked that we could give the recipe to the Hokage so that it could be used as a device for torture!" Hinata laughed at her misadventures.

Chidori laughed along with her, and then her eyes caught sight of something from the pile of clothes.

"WEAR THIS TODAY!" she yelled at Hinata.

Hinata could only stare at the outfit Chidori had procured from the mess.

Her left hand held a loose, lavender, woolen knit top with long sleeves. On her right hand, she held a fitting, grey, mid-thigh skirt.

"Isn't that…kind of short?" Hinata blinked.

Chidori looked at her, then at the skirt.

"Oh come on Hinata-chan! Flaunt those curvaceous legs you have!" Chidori thrust the clothes at her and pushed her towards the door.

Hinata glanced around, looking for tights or leggings that may have been lying around.

Chidori grabbed the rest of the clothes out of Hinata's reach and pointed, once again, to the door.

"I may not be able to see the future like you, but I know _exactly_ what you're thinking," she huffed as she waited for the older girl to exit the room.

With a sigh, Hinata unlocked the door and proceeded to the bathroom.

* * *

'_Click'_

Naruto's eyebrows raised in alarm as he heard the sound of the lock.

Quickly, he scrambled up from his place and jumped onto the sofa, with the glass in hand.

He whistled an unknown tune, feigning ignorance as Hinata walked to the common bathroom.

When he heard the bathroom door lock, he heaved a sigh of relief.

"It would have been darn embarrassing if Hinata caught me eavesdropping on their conversation," he grimaced, then laughed at his idiocy, but slowly his laughter faded off as he remembered the ending of the conversation.

"I wonder what Chidori meant when she said 'I may not be able to see the future like you…'?" he pondered aloud.

* * *

By 7.00am, all the Jiinchuuriki members had assembled in the Kazekage's office.

Naruto, Hinata and Chidori had arrived early, with at least ten minutes to spare. The three chatted with the other members who had also come early.

Hinata slowly petted Kiba's humongous dog, Akamaru. He whined in delight.

Oh how she _loved_ dogs...

"Akamaru likes you! Though I have to admit I can see why…" he gently teased her, causing Hinata to blush.

Naruto – who had been talking to Shikamaru on how to play Shoji – stole a glance at Hinata. To his surprise, he felt a twinge of jealousy stab his heart, as he watched Kiba talk to Hinata.

Before he could mentally berate himself, Gaara walked in with a brown-headed girl.

Hinata looked closely at the girl, trying to figure out why she looked so familiar, and then she realized that it was Matsuri.

Shyly, Hinata waved at her. Matsuri, caught Hinata's wave and winked back.

"Alright everyone, listen carefully, as I don't want to repeat myself," Gaara glared at the Jinchuuriki members in front of him.

"All of you will be placed in a holding room. Each of you will be called by Matsuri…" he gestured to the girl beside him, "…individually into my office, where I will debrief you on your missions. After I have debriefed you, you are to return back to your house and prepare yourself for your mission immediately. Whatever mission that I have assigned to you must be kept confidential. In other words, you are not to tell anyone, even fellow Jinchuuriki members, about your mission,"

The group seemed a bit stunned, but nevertheless, they nodded their heads.

"We'll go in random order starting with you Haruno," he pointed at the pink haired girl.

She remained behind as the rest of the group was led to a holding room.

"Does Gaara-san always allocate missions like this?" Hinata whispered to Naruto.

"Nah. He usually just tells us our missions in front of the other members. If he does something like this, he probably suspects something…" Naruto drawled off.

"Like the possibility that one of us could be a spy?" she continued.

"Yeah. Like the poss…ibility…How did you know that?" Naruto asked abruptly.

"A hunch I guess…" Hinata smiled at the blonde.

Naruto grinned back, silently observing the clothing she was wearing.

The lavender knit-top, hid her curvaceous figure, but the fitted grey skirt emphasized on her hips. It showed her creamy legs to an advantage. Her feet had been protected by simple, yet feminine, ninja sandals.

Naruto gulped as he tried to keep his gaze forward, instead of to his right, where Hinata walked beside him.

_This was going to be a long day…_

* * *

Hinata and Naruto watched as one by one, the Jinchuuriki members were called from their rooms, until finally, they were the last two left.

With a sigh, Hinata glanced around at the empty room, wondering if the Kazekage would even give her a mission.

After what seemed like hours, Matsuri called them to the Kazekage's office.

She shut the door behind them, and then situated herself behind the Kazekage's chair.

"Both of you must be wondering why I called you two together," Gaara leaned his chin on his left palm.

Lazily, he picked up a pen with his right hand and began to spin it on his table.

"Matsuri will explain the situation to the both of you, ask any questions if necessary. Matsuri," he picked up a pile of papers and began flipping through them.

"Hai. My team has been hearing rumours that a psychic lives in the Rice Field Country"

"Rice Field Country? Isn't that where the Hidden Sound Village is?" Naruto asked perplexed.

"Precisely,"

"Why the hell would a psychic hide in enemy territory?" Naruto pondered aloud.

"It may be a rumour…" Matsuri started.

"Or perhaps it isn't," Hinata interrupted as she twiddled her index fingers together.

Naruto gazed up at her.

"From what I've heard about Orochimaru, he's proud, arrogant and vicious. In fact, his pride will keep him from searching within the country he guards for a psychic. He thinks he's infallible, and that none of the psychics would be 'dumb' enough to try and infiltrate his territory, and that's exactly why a psychic could be there. I mean, nobody would think that a psychic would live right under Orochimaru's nose," Hinata concluded.

Gaara pried his gaze from his papers.

"That's precisely what I thought myself. So I need to send ninja I trust for this job. I know that both of you are _trust-worthy_ enough in my eyes," his gaze directed at Hinata.

She gulped.

_Was it just her, or had the Kazekage tried directing that at her?_

"Your mission is to infiltrate the Rice Field Country, and bring back the psychic here,"

"But Gaara, you do realize that Orochimaru has tightened his defenses around the Rice Field Country, don't you? I heard it's nearly impossible to get in now," Naruto commented.

"I know, which is why I'm going to do this. Hinata, this is your mission. You are to travel to Bird country in three days time. Chidori will be traveling with you. She will then leave after a month to her next mission. The Daimyou Toki, has agreed to house you there as a lady-in-waiting for three months. You'll take the name Kishimoto Hinata. You're history is that you moved to Bird Country 5 years ago after your family died in a massacre in the Whirlpool Country," Hinata nodded.

"Meanwhile, Naruto you are to go to Grass Country. The Daimyou there has created a false profile for you. Your name will remain unchanged; Uzumaki Naruto, you were born and raised in grass country. You're working as a highly-skilled gardener. You have no living relatives," Naruto smiled.

"A highly-skilled _gardener_?"

"Yes…Well, according to Haruno-san, you seem to have a talent in that area," Gaara replied.

"SAKURA NOTICED?" Naruto grinned, "Oh yes! Maybe she's finally falling for me!"

The dense blonde failed to see a certain raven-headed girl bite her lip in dismay.

"Yes, well…back to the mission…" he gave Naruto a warning look.

"Yea, yea Gaara! You don't need to be so serious all the time," Naruto smiled.

Gaara smirked at the blonde.

_Naruto will always be Naruto… _

"Anyway, after about 2 months, both of you will be taking a 'vacation' to the Earth Country's Hidden Rock Village. I will send you both letters to tell you when to move out. The both of you will happen to stay at the same inn, and hence after, you fall in love, etc. etc. and get married, you will then have your honeymoon in Taki. Naruto will ask for a job transfer to the Rice field Country, while Hinata will quit her job and…"

"WAIT!" Naruto cried.

"What?" Gaara asked, slightly annoyed.

"Repeat what you just said,"

"You will ask for a job trans…"

"No before that!"

"You will fall in love, etc. etc. and get married. You will…"

"Married?" Naruto echoed.

"Yes," Gaara nodded.

"As in the union of man and woman…"

"Yes,"

"The whole, 'Till death do us part,' thing?"

"Yes…" Gaara's eye twitched.

"B…But we barely know each other! We can't get married!" Naruto protested.

"Yes…But for the sake of the mission, you need to," Matsuri interjected.

"Will we be legally married, or is this a false marriage?" Hinata burst in.

"Unless you want anyone to find out that this whole thing is a set-up, it has to be a legal marriage," Matsuri worriedly looked at Hinata.

Nobody moved…

_He's going to be married to a monster…_

_She's going to be married to a demon…_

"Hinata-san," Gaara slowly spoke.

"H…HHai!"

"There's another reason why we need to get the two of you married,"

Naruto perked up.

Gaara passed a flyer to the girl.

'WANTED: Dead or Alive

Name: Hyuuga Hinata

Age: 18

Gender: Female

Description: Has long black hair and byakugan eyes.

Thin and scrawny.

Pale-skinned.

Reward: 1 million yen'

Hinata's eyes widened.

"W…what is this?" her hands gripped the paper violently.

"Your father has issued this to almost all of the major countries. He wants you back Hinata-san," Gaara replied, leaning back in his chair.

'_No…This can't be happening…'_

"The picture they put up of you was taken when you were a kid, so your pursuers won't be able to know what you really look like. However, with your byakugan eyes, you're a dead giveaway,"

Hinata could barely absorb what Gaara had been telling her, her eyes fixed on the flyer in front of her.

Her heart nearly broke.

"What's going to happen to me?"

"Bounty hunters are obviously going to come looking for you. Which is why I need a strong ninja to be there for you at all times," he glanced at Naruto.

_I'm causing everyone so much trouble…_

_I'm hindering their plans…_

_I can't let that happen…_

"I'll go back to Konoha," she declared suddenly, "If I'm with all of you, I might put your secret organization at risk. Orochimaru may find out that you guys are planning a coup d'état right under his nose," she announced.

"That isn't going to happen," Naruto strongly declared.

Hinata looked up.

"I made a promise never to leave you alone, and I never break promises. You aren't going back to that place," his eyes met Hinata's.

Immediately, a sense of relief flooded her being.

"We knew you were going to say something like that!" Matsuri laughed.

"That's why the only way out of this mess is if Hinata gets married,"

"How does getting married solve anything?" Hinata's voice wavered slightly.

"Since you are of legal age, you can get married. Once you get married, you change your maiden name, hence, your father has no authority over you anymore. It leaves you free to live your life," Gaara explained eyeing the Hyuuga with concern.

Hinata buried her face into her hands,

"Of course, after the mission is over, the two of you could get divorced and resume your lives…" Matsuri rushed on.

Naruto and Hinata, however, seemed to be caught up in their own worlds.

_Would she mind marrying me?_

_Would he mind marrying me?_

Would they ever agree to the proposition?

* * *

CLIFFHANGER! I'm back people! Sorry for the absence, as an apology to my readers, I've started a one shot, and I'm almost done! So keep a look out for it…

I WANT HINATA IN THE NARUTO ANIME DARN IT! Where is she? Sometimes I swear I would ring Maasashi Kishimoto's neck, if I could, for omitting her from the manga AND anime for so long…

I really hope Hinata and Naruto end up together…If it turns out to be Sakura, I think I'll just die…BUT I won't EVER EVER EVER stop writing Hinata and Naruto stories. No matter what the outcome is…

REVIEW PLEASE!


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